4/23/2016
12:58 PM, About 30 miles outside of Phoenix, Arizona

Holiday sat in the lab, logging all of the substances she and Amelia had collected during the secondary autopsy. They had decided not to touch the other bodies, and to concentrate on these specimens first. The would do two other autopsies later to compare samples, but they needed to observe the behavior of the bacteria.
They had found liquid in the lungs, a mold growing inside the skin (which was most likely causing the decay), the white puss that seemed to be keeping muscles and nerves intact, and some sort of mite inside the brain. Holiday was curious to how the virus was spreading. It almost had to be the mite, but that wouldn't explain the white puss and the liquid in the lungs. Holiday almost thought that it was an airborne strain that the mites flew with. They were small enough. They only reason Holiday noticed them at all was the fact that they looked like tiny glitter in the brain, and it really stood out from the white puss.
Holiday heard the doors, open, and looked up. Calan stood there, holding a bag of Chinese food.

"Let me finished logging in these mites..." Holiday said, smiling. "What'd you get me?"

"Steamed vegetables, chow mein, and brown rice. I also have some soy sauce," Calan answered.

"I bet you got yourself broccoli beef with chow mein," Holiday guessed, tapping away at the log.

"True, true. Ready?" Calan asked.

The engaged couple made their way to Calan's office, and sat at his desk.

"So, we decided on sometime in December, but I think we should divide up the responsibilities of our wedding," Calan said after a moment's pause.

"Okay..." Holiday agreed. "What do you have in mind?"

"I would be willing to make seating charts, the invites, find the honeymoon, pick my groomsmen, and I'd work with you on who we're inviting," Calan proposed.

"Okay, that will be fine. I'll be in charge of bridesmaids, food, venue, decor, the dress madness...and anything else we need to cover," Holiday smiled. "I'm excited. I've always wanted a winter wedding,"

There was a knock at the door, and Amelia poked her head in.

"Doctor Holiday? Sorry to interrupt, but I put the liquid found in the lungs in a petri dish to study. My little metal stud fell into the dish, and it solidified completely where it landed, and became a weird half-solid everywhere else," Amelia said. "I think that the liquid was a gas before, and liquidified when it came into contact with the metal bullets,"

"Sounds solid. How did the white puss and the mold come into the system?" Holiday asked, liking the hypothesis her trainee was coming up with.

"I don't know. But if I'm right, we know how to slow them down," Amelia said.

There was hope.
_

4/23/2016
11:03 PM, LOCATION UNKNOWN

The Boss sat in his cave, deep beneath the Earth's surface. He was angry. Not only had his up-and-coming field officer left, she was helped out by his own daughter and in the arms of Providence. And someone had to pay.

"Mann!" the Boss barked, his low, raspy voice brining Mann out of the darkness.

Mann didn't stay in his swirling mass when he was in the Boss's presence. Instead, he allowed his true form to be revealed: a tall, thin, reptilian-human mutant.
Mann was 80% human, 20% anaconda. He had scales overtop his flesh on his arms, shoulders, hairline, and sides. He typically wore leather pants and a black overcoat, with his loving snake, Naligra, coiled up at his feet.

"Get her back. And get her back, now,"

A/N: I was writing this to the sound of the Husker football game...what a sweet melody. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter! It wasn't as violent as I thought it would be, but I think I'll save that for next week. Speaking of next week, my aunt is getting married, so I'm afraid my new chapter won't be up till Sunday. Sorry for the inconvience!