Kihonne: Alrighty, two in a row! I don't want to jinx myself, but I'm on a roll! Anyway, I hope you guys are excited for the final part of this particular arc. But first, it's shoutout time!
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LabGirl2001: I'm so glad you liked it, even if I did leave you on that awful cliffhanger. Don't worry though – I'll leave you on a different type of ending this time around. As for your Reese theory, I won't confirm or deny anything yet, but I will make one comment – Aaron is Ava's cousin, not her brother. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter, and please let me know your decision on whether or not to virtually strangle me.
SzymonS: I'm glad you liked my input about the Wi-Fi thing. Yes, Marcus is not happy about Leo not telling Charlotte about him. As for Giselle, I completely agree with you. She wasn't a coward. But I do feel like that would be Marcus' perspective on her. Marcus is just a joy to write, honestly (I mean, Lexi too, but Marcus especially). I love him so much. I'm really glad you liked how I dealt with the Marcus situation. I put a lot of thought into how he was going to come back, and I think it was perfect for the long run as well as the in the moment explanation. You seem very certain that Ava is on Lexi's side. Maybe she is and it was her own plan, or maybe she isn't and it was just a coincidence. As for their biggest problem, I would say it would be the only one of the hero's team with actual experience who's proven to be able to beat one of theirs (Saturn) in the past. I would consider that a pretty big threat. Though your comments about SHIRT are also very valid. Oh, yes, Calla seeing Marcus for first time in years – I don't think there's anything that could scare her more (watch me completely contradict that statement before the season's over). Yes, Katherine is talking in a southern accent. She's always had it, but like you said, it's been a while since she's been featured so much in the story. You'll definitely see more of her in the future, especially in this season. Oh Darius…he has a very complicated storyline, with very complicated relationships with people. We're definitely going to see at least one character's changed opinion of him this chapter, that's for certain. Yes, Reese is either Discordia's mother. I guess we will see if your theory on Discordia's identity pans out. Yep, Kira is the cheerful one. Thank you for pointing out the POV thing – I fixed it once I originally saw your review. I changed my mind about whose POV the scene was going to be while writing the scene, and I guess I forgot to change the header. Yes, Jupiter is our Calderan friend. I know the code names get confusing – I partially regret using them, since they are so confusing, but I needed some way to keep our villains' identities a secret. Now that it's almost all out in the open though, the villains and heroes won't need to use them as much, so you're going to see less of them and more of their real names. Interesting theory about who Jupiter is. You'll see soon. I'm glad you liked the Charlotte scenes, as well as the drama with Ben. So, onto your bit about Catastrophe. I agree very much with non having the big bad fights happen off screen, but I am limited by the POVs. It's why the important ones happen on screen for sure. And while I may have minor fights with the big bads happen off screen, like in the previous chapter, I will never have a major villain get taken down off screen if I can avoid it. The final fight scenes will likely be similar in style to PoS Season 3, with the most important villains taken out on screen in divided POVs, but I won't have a character like Catastrophe lose in the background. I would hate that myself. You are correct in your count about the number of chapters left (though, if the final chapter proves to become extra long as I'm not expecting it might, I might break it into 2 chapters, but I won't know until I actually go to write it). As for why the villains are doing this, it will become clear soon. It's definitely a question the team will have on their minds now that they know who most of their enemies are. Thank you so much for the congratulations, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Anonymously Kool: Yes, Calla is starting to show. I appreciate your vote and name suggestion and have added them to the list. I am so glad you liked the chapter, especially the Marcus bits. As for Charlotte and especially Ben, you'll get to see more of that this chapter, so please enjoy!
DREAMEYES: Darius is definitely in a really rough position, isn't he? It's certainly hard for some people to stay mad at him. Not everyone though, as you will see. I'm so glad you like the chapter, and thank you so much for the kind compliments! I hope you enjoy this one too.
Bennyboo: Well, if I'm being honest, hurting the indestructible character has a certain appeal to it. I'm sure Saturn is very wary of you now though. I loved your reaction to your friend being weirded out by this. I hope you like this chapter too!
Guest: I'm so glad you liked the chapter! I hope you like this one too!
Dorothy: I'm really glad to hear you liked the chapter so much, especially the Marcus bits. I hope you love this chapter just as much!
Guest: Yeah, they don't really like each other all that much…I hope you like this chapter better than they like each other though!
Guest: Interesting theory, especially the part about turning him evil (that's not what happened, but that is definitely an idea to keep in mind for the future). I hope you like the chapter.
Kittyperry: No, that's Horace. Kaz accidentally brought him back as an indirect result of him time travelling back in the Power of Seven.
THEJAWDROPPER: Oh, I have been there, my friend. You never know how much you love someone until you can lose them, even if they are fictional characters. But as for whether or not he's going to be okay…well, keep reading!
Lovefirefight: That would make for an interesting chapter. I hope you like this one!
MightyMedNerd: Good theories! All definitely plausible. Read ahead to see if you're right. I hope you like it!
superheroesRule: Oh, Marcus will definitely make sure to leave a lasting impression on the kids, that's for sure. It would be funny if Charlotte took him out first, that's for sure. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Guest: That is certainly very true about our favorite bionic family.
Guest: I could see that happening to her, that's for sure. As for Ben…well, you'll just have to read to find out. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Guest: Oh my God, thank you. That's a serious compliment – I have so many emotions about that movie, it isn't even funny.
BriBriElsa5: Yes, Lexi is quite bright. As for how she knew about Marcus, she found him by accident while going through Giselle's date to try and find her own way of getting revenge. And you're right – he's almost something completely new now. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter so much! I hope you like this one too!
Lori: She is definitely in shock from the news, and with everything going on, she hasn't even had the chance to process anything. Believe me, once she does, she's going to be heartbroken. And maybe him not killing Ben and Charlotte did give her a little hope. I am so glad the couples of this story have captured your attention so much. I do like putting them through hell though. I guess we'll see if Ben survives being my latest victim, won't we? I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Kingofweirdness: That is an interesting question that I honestly never thought of before. I don't think I have a scene in the chapter that shows the actual blood color, but let's go with blue like his dad then, since a lot of Ben's biology is more based off his father's than his mother's. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and all it's deadly threats to the characters.
Guest: I hope you get your keyboard fixed soon! I am so glad you liked the chapter so much, and I hope you like this one too.
MissingMateus: I know, right? I actually did go and find a couple of his episodes online to watch while writing his scenes in the last chapter, just to help me make sure he was in character. I do miss him. I wasn't the biggest fan of Daniel myself, but I'm pretty sure he was supposed to be a last minute replacement for Spin, whose actor got hired on a different show and couldn't be in the finale. And I think it was their way of giving us a fitting finale, so I don't totally blame them for killing him. Still, it is fun to bring him back. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
TheRealHarrisonW: I'm so glad you liked it. Don't feel bad about missing the Mateus thing – like 2 people figured it out. I'm glad you understand about Faith. I might just take you up on that offer for "The Cabal" name. It's pretty good (credit, of course, will be given if I do). I really hope you like this chapter too, and have a great week.
LALALAGIRL: Saturn has very quickly become public enemy number 1, that's for sure. It was definitely a coward's move. As for whether or not this will help the Naomi/Ben ship move forward, I'll be interested to hear your opinion on that after finished the chapter. It definitely did something, that's for sure. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter.
BingeReader9: That's fair. That fury is fair. I know, I did hurt Charlotte, and it's definitely going to hurt her for a while. I admit, I do feel a tiny bit bad for that. Leo definitely would agree with you about getting his own revenge against Marcus, that's for sure. I have to say, at least Charlotte has both her parents there to support her. Darius…oh, Darius. He does have a lot of compassion, and I don't think that even if he was a bad guy, he'd have it in him to kill. He's definitely going to have to make a decision about what's best for him sooner or later. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Guest: Perfectly acceptable reaction to this.
Mr.E: Well, I haven't confirmed anything, but if you look at who Lexi's been interested in the past, then you might have a good theory as to who Darius' father is.
SummerSunShine: Thank you so much! It is incredible (and slightly embarrassing) to see how much my writing style has changed since that first chapter of the Lab Assistant. Seriously, thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad you like the arc too – it's definitely one of my favorites for the series. I think you're going to like what I've got planned for the rest of it, especially with Marcus. He's definitely a fan favorite, so I've got plans for him. I hope you like this chapter just as much as the previous ones!
MatchMaker24: They are very smart for villains, aren't they? Yes, Ben did pay the price here, didn't he? Just like the villains planned. I don't think it's odd – it's definitely the type of thing I'd be interested in reading if Ben were a canon character. You'll definitely get to see what you're looking for in this chapter, that's for sure. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you like this one too!
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Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!
Naomi: Kihonne doesn't own lab rats, Mighty Med, or the Elite Force. She only owns this story, any and all OCs in it, and anything else you don't recognize.
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Naomi's POV
"It's bad." Leo wasn't asking a question when he spoke, frowning at Horace. Calla, Leo, and I were standing in Horace's office, all gathered around his desk. Katherine and AJ had stayed behind to keep an eye on the kids – they were all already a mess after today, without getting the details of Ben's condition.
Horace's expression was grim, his jaw set. "Saturn shot a series of pellets into Aftershock that were made of gold infused with delta radiation." He explained. Calla and Leo nodded thoughtfully, but I frowned, confused. I knew Ben had a weakness to gold, but I wasn't sure about the delta radiation. "It's a physical manifestation of Gargulon Gas."
"Oh god." My stomach sank when I heard those words. I hadn't realized how Gargulon Gas was made, but I definitely knew how bad it was for Ben to have in his system.
"I'm sorry, you had me until you said that last bit." Leo frowned, looking confused. "Radiation is bad, but what's Gargulon Gas?"
"It was basically Tecton's biggest weakness." I supplied for Horace. "It's like poison to Ben."
Calla looked at me for a moment, eyebrows raised before she turned to Horace. "What are you doing for him? I assume there's a cure?"
Horace shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not, and we can't remove all the gold fragments. Most of them are too small for us to safely remove."
"What's his prognosis?" Calla said in a monotone, the look in her eyes telling me she already knew the answer. Horace sighed deeply.
"We have a treatment that will make him comfortable, reduce the symptoms for a while, but…I'm afraid that he won't recover from this. I give him 24 hours, 30 at the most." Horace said gently. He glanced at Calla. "Someone should notify his mother."
"I-I'll call Geminus, get in touch." Calla promised, seeming shaken. I looked at her in despair, then turned back to Horace.
"No! There…there has to be something you can do." I pleaded with Horace. I didn't realize I was shaking, not until I felt Leo put his hand on my arm to steady me. "Please, Horace, he can't…there's got to be something."
Horace gave me a sympathetic look. "We searched for a cure during Tecton's first few years as a hero, but Gargulon Gas isn't naturally occurring on Earth. It wasn't as if the problem came up fairly often. I'm sorry, but we never found a cure."
Leo looked over at me, then at Horace. "Then I guess we're just going to have to find one."
Calla's POV
"Alright, so here is every comic book on Tecton that Centium City has to offer." AJ announced, wheeling a dolly filled with comics into the penthouse. Noah frowned at the sight of them.
"Paper copies?" He questioned. AJ shrugged.
"Not many of the pre-2020 comics got digitalized, let alone the 1997 ones from when Tecton first started superheroing." AJ explained as I started handing out piles of comics.
"Katherine and Naomi are gonna stay at the hospital and go over Ben's medical history and see if there's anything in the medical texts there." I explained as the kids all settled around the room. "But here's what we're trying to do: we can't remove the gold, so we need to find a way to negate the effects of Gargulon gas."
Sera raised her hand. "But if Ben's also weak to gold, won't he still…" she stopped herself when she realized what she was about to say, her face turning red with emotion. I glanced at Leo, then turned back to the kids.
"Ben does have a weakness to gold, and without the gas, it does make him sick," I acknowledged, "but if we can neutralize the gas particles, then he should be able to recover from it."
"If we have to figure out a way to help him with the gold, we will." Leo promised. "But for now, let's focus on getting rid of the Gargulon gas."
"We're on it." Kameron assured us before taking his pile of comics and heading for the table. Seraphina leaned back in the couch, examining each page with care. Kira dropped into the arm chair next to her, legs hanging over the arm of it as she buried herself in her comic, while Noah took the larger graphic novels to the table to join Kameron. AJ moved to the kitchen counter, where he'd pulled out his holocomputer to do his own kind of research; while the kids studied superhero history, we'd be looking at human solutions to the problem. One of us had to find something.
Leo knelt down next to the couch, where Charlotte had lied down on her stomach to get comfortable as she researched. "Hey, honey, listen. We have a lot of help here-"
"I'm not going home." Charlotte didn't look up from her comic. Leo sighed.
"No one would blame you. You need to get some rest." He told her, gently. I looked the girl over, taking in her messy hair, the dark bags under her eyes, and the way her feet were bouncing anxiously against the arm of the couch.
Charlotte bit her lip, then shook her head, tears creeping into the corners of her eyes. "He was saving my life." She insisted, not looking at Leo or I. "He walked into that trap because of me. I have to help."
"Charlie," Leo gave her a look. Charlotte met his gaze, fierce determinism in her eyes.
"I have to help." She repeated, her tone leaving no room for argument. Leo sighed, then nodded.
"Fine." He agreed reluctantly, sitting down on the ground and swiping his holocomputer off the coffee table. "Then I am doing my research right here."
I smiled thinly at that, then looked around, realizing with a pang of guilt that with everything going on, I hadn't checked in on Emily yet. I spotted my daughter sitting at the desk by the window, a pile of comics placed on her left. I walked over to the window, but she didn't seem to notice me. I frowned at that – she was normally very observant. And more outspoken. She'd barely said a word since the hospital, clearly too lost in her thoughts to contribute much to the conversation. As it was, even though I could tell that she was trying to concentrate on the comics in front of her, every few seconds, I would see her eyes lose their focus for a moment before she'd shake herself and get back to it.
"Hey." I placed my hand on the desk, getting her attention. She looked up at me with tired eyes, and I nodded at the veranda. "Let's do our stuff outside, yeah?"
"Okay." She agreed, obediently grabbing her stuff and followed me outside. I sat down on one of the outdoor chairs as she piled the comics onto the side table, and I turned around to face her.
"We need to talk about Darius." I told her. She looked up at me sharply, her eyes wide. "Emmy-"
"No." She said quickly, brushing her hair behind her ear as she sat down.
"Pardon?" I questioned, frowning. She looked up at me.
"I don't want to talk about him." She insisted, giving me a cold look. I raised my chin. "I'm serious, Mom. Not right now."
"Yes, right now." I replied. This conversation was going to have to happen eventually, anyway, and she wasn't going to focus until it was had. "Emily-"
"He didn't shoot Charlotte and Ben." She stated, crossing her arms so tightly that I worried for a moment that she might hurt herself. I sighed. "He could have and he didn't."
"That doesn't mean he's a good guy." I said slowly, cautiously. I could see the conflict in her eyes.
"But it doesn't mean he's a bad guy, either." She told me. I leaned back a little, observing her. She liked him, a lot, that much was obvious. And that I could understand; both Chase and I had a weakness for caring too much and falling too hard, too fast. I'd been the same way with Caleb, then with Chase, and even though Chase was and still is my soulmate, that love had led to a lot of dumb and dangerous decisions in our first few years together. I was worried that Emily would follow suit, if I didn't stop this before it turned into something stronger than just 'like'.
"He used you, honey. Flirting with you, asking you out, it was all part of his plan." I murmured, trying to be gentle. Her eyes darted to the side and she blinked fast, trying not to cry. "People like him, like his father," Even without physical proof, I was fairly certain of who Darius' father was, "like Marcus, they use people. The people they claim to care about, they're just a means to an end."
"I…you didn't see how he looked at me, Mom." She whimpered. I nodded.
"It must have been pretty great." I acknowledged. "But sweetie, it wasn't real. How he felt, it wasn't real."
She turned and dropped next to me on the chair. "It was for me." She whispered, breaking my heart a little.
"Oh, honey." I murmured, pulling her into a hug. She dropped her head onto my shoulder, shaking a little as she tried not to cry. I mentally cursed Marcus, Sebastian, Darius, and anyone who dared to betray us. I'd learned a long time ago to be careful of who we trusted, but it was a lesson I'd hoped that Emily would never have to learn, at least not the way we'd all learned it. "I know it hurts. I know."
"I thought he cared about me. I thought…" She sniffed deeply. I sighed and pressed my lips to her forehead.
"I know. He's a good liar, like the rest of his family." I murmured. She nodded sadly and I pulled away. "I know that it hurts, honey. And if you want to be angry, or sad, or whatever else you're feeling, that's okay."
"But…" She sniffed and looked over at me. When I didn't respond, she gave me a look. "There's always a but."
"I need you to try and focus on this." I put my hand on the comics. "If you can't, I get it. But I do need you to try."
"Ben needs me to try." She corrected with another sniff. I pressed my lips together but didn't respond. She nodded to herself. "Okay. I'll try."
"That's my girl." I kissed her forehead proudly. "And when this is all over, I am going to teach you the art of break-up ice cream."
Emily frowned. "There's an art to it?" She asked skeptically. I nodded and despite herself, Emily smiled a tiny bit.
"The way I do it, there is." I promised.
Naomi's POV
I pinched the bridge of my nose, fighting back the urge to yawn. It had been almost fourteen hours since we'd gone on that butchered rescue mission for Charlotte, making it about 3 in the afternoon. Between the lack of sleep, the rescue, and my slight jet lag from my trip to California, I felt completely and utterly drained. But sleeping right now was not an option whatsoever.
I flipped the page in the medical book I'd switched to, a headache forming when I saw the complicated words inside. None of these ever spoke in terms I could properly understand, so at this point, I was just looking for anything that seemed similar to Ben's condition. Anything I thought might be helpful, I'd run by Horace.
I looked up at the sudden sound of rustling sheets and saw Ben shifting uncomfortably in the hospital bed. I bit my lip worriedly and was about to go back to my research when I noticed his eyes slowly crack open. He winced at the bright light, groaning, and I quickly leaned forward to dim the lights to a more comfortable level.
"Hey sleepyhead." I greeted, keeping my tone gentle, getting his attention. He rolled his head across the pillow to face me, his sweat-soaked hair sticking to his forehead.
"Naomi?" He croaked, sounding confused. I nodded, looking him over.
"Yeah, it's me." I assured him. I leaned over to wipe the hair away from his face, wincing at the heat radiating off his skin. The machines said his fever was just over 103, but it felt so much worse skin to skin.
"What happened?" He groaned. I frowned but didn't pull my hand back.
"Saturn hit you with a new weapon. But you're going to be okay. You just need to rest."
"Don't feel like I'm getting better." He mumbled. I bit my inner lip.
"I know." I sighed. "But you are. Trust me."
"Okay." He agreed tiredly, closing his eyes. I pressed my lips together, trying not to be emotional in front of him, and started to pull my hand away. He whined in protest at the action though. "No, feels nice. Your hands are soft."
I couldn't help but smile at the childishness in his tone. "Are they?" I asked. He hummed in agreement, then winced. "What hurts?"
"Side. Head" He grumbled, his right hand twitching as if to touch the body parts that were hurting. "Stomach."
"I can go get Horace, see if he can give you a painkiller." I offered. I wasn't totally sure what more Horace could give him - he was already getting three different types of medications through an IV, and I'm sure Horace would have given him the best he could - but I was sure there was something.
"No, stay." Ben reached clumsily reached for my hand as I stood up. I stopped and looked back at his pale, sweaty face and pleading eyes. I nodded gently, taking his hand, and sat down on the edge of his hospital bed.
"I'm not going anywhere." I promised him. "And neither are you. Deal?"
He grimaced weakly, but nodded. "Deal." He agreed. I smiled.
"Good." I squeezed his hand gently. "You're my best friend; I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Yeah, best friend." He grumbled, going from tired to annoyed in a second. I frowned.
"Uh, yeah. Best friend. You're my best friend, Ben." I insisted. Didn't he know how important he was to me?
"And nothing more." He agreed bitterly, closing his eyes again. I stopped short, confused by those words. He wanted to be...
"How's he doing?" Horace interrupted my line of thoughts. I stood up, dropping Ben's hand. He must have passed out though, his hand falling limply back onto the blue blankets.
"He, uh...he said he was in pain." I said quickly, grabbing my book off the chair where I'd left it.
"We could try to up his pain medication." Horace hummed thoughtfully. "I'm worried it'll make him more nauseous though. We don't want him getting sick right now."
"Well, um, you're the doctor so...I'm going to call Calla, check in with the others." I stumbled over my words, heading for the door with the distinct feeling that I'd been doing something wrong when Horace came in.
Calla's POV
"What if we try something like this?" I leaned forward, showing AJ the section on the holopage I was talking about. He frowned.
"Maybe. But can we really get that done in…eight hours?" He murmured, unconvinced. "This type of medication isn't even sold on Earth, and the amount of time it would take to go through the process of buying it from Sethea 19…by time we got back, I don't know if we'd have enough time."
"I know, I just don't think-" I was cut off by Kameron shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Calla!" He burst through the door, grinning widely, his Davenwatch in his hand. "I'm a genius!"
"What?" Emily turned around, looking up from her holocomputer, having switched to scientific research when the comic books weren't working out. I gave Kameron an appraising look, noticing how excited he looked.
"Kameron, in this house, if you're going to call yourself that word, you have to prove it." I told him, motioning for him to sit down next to me. "So, show me what you've got."
"Alright, have you ever heard of the Thermococcus Gammatolerans?" He asked me, sitting down next to me. By now, the other kids had gathered around the entrance to the veranda, sensing that Kameron was onto something. "It's an archaea found in the Guaymas Basin."
"An archaea?" Kira replied. "He's not Spider-Man, Kam."
"Archaea, not arachnid. It's a microscopic organism, Kira, kinda like a bacteria." I explained gently before turning to Kameron. "But I'm not familiar with…Thermococcus Gammatolerans?" He nodded when I pronounced it correctly. "How can it help Ben?"
"Well, I was thinking about what you said about how we can't remove the gold from Ben, but we need to remove the Gargulon Gas. Well, Gargulon Gas is made of gold and delta radiation, and if we can't remove the gold, then…"
"Then we should remove the radiation." Charlotte finished, looking at Kameron, impressed. He smiled and nodded. "But how?"
"Kameron, there's no true way of removing radiation from a living form. Scientists have been working on that for decades." I told him. In theory, it was a good idea, but with no practical way to apply it, it wasn't worth exploring.
"Yeah, well, those scientists weren't as motivated as us." Kameron insisted. "And they aren't familiar with alien and superhero technology."
"What does this have to do with the…thingy you mentioned?" Noah asked, looking confused.
"I think we can use it to make a cure." Kameron turned back to me. "The average human can handle, what, 4 to 10 lethal doses of radiation? Ben, probably double that?"
"Yeah, about." I nodded. He smirked.
"The Thermococcus Gammatolerans can handle up to 30,000." He explained. I raised my eyebrows at that, now remembering hearing about the scientific discovery from one of my teachers back when I was their age.
"30,000?" Sera repeated, stunned. Kameron nodded.
"Scientists have made cures to illness and disease for centuries by extracting samples from bacteria and archaea. Can't we do the same thing here? Use a radiation-resistant creature to boost Ben's own resistance? Enough to get him back on his feet?"
"Would it work, Mom?" Emily asked. All the kids were looking to me as if I held Ben's life in my hands.
"I don't know." I admitted hesitantly, much to their disappointment. "I'm not a biologist, guys. But I do have some that work for me, so I'll call one and ask. Give me a few minutes."
I shook my head and pushed past the kids to walk into the living room. I pulled out my Davenwatch and called the best biologist that worked for me, all while they watched expectantly from outside. "Hey, sorry to bother you on the weekend." I greeted when Skylar Lewis picked up. "It's just…I have this problem."
I explained the situation as best as I could, giving her everything we knew before detailing out the plan. She did have some concerns, mostly with how the hell we were going to even collect archaea, given its not so safe location, but she seemed genuinely interested in the possibility of this working out.
After working out a few of the more obvious problems over the line, I instructed her to head to her lab and hung up. I turned back to the window, the kids' faces all peering in as they waited for my response. "Kameron," I said loudly, "you're a genius."
Naomi's POV
"And you're sure it will work?" I questioned, crossing my arms uncomfortably. Kameron's plan sounded...risky, to say the least.
"Eighty-five percent? We can't really be sure until we get it under a microscope. But theoretically, it should work." Calla replied, leaning against the counter.
"Theoretically doesn't necessarily mean it'll work in reality, Calla." I sighed. She nodded thoughtfully.
"I know that." She admitted. "And that's not the only problem."
"What else is there?" I questioned. She sighed.
"Guaymas Basin, where the archaea is found...hydrothermal plumes, hydrocarbon seeps, hot springs..." She trailed off, frowning. I stared at her.
"You do realize the only part I understood was 'hot springs' and that those sounds really nice right now?" I questioned. She sighed.
"It's going to be dangerously hot down there. Like volcanic-level hot." She told me. She gave me a look. "It's not going to be dangerous for whoever goes down there."
"And it's the kids." It wasn't a surprise. She nodded.
"I'd do it myself if it weren't for the baby." She admitted. I sighed.
"I mean, it doesn't sound much more dangerous than some of the missions that Adam, Bree, and Chase went on when they were their age." I pointed out, trying to reassure her. She nodded.
"You're right." She admitted. "But still...I'm only sending some of them down there. Kira and Sera, who can handle the heat better thanks to their powers, and Kameron because he knows what he's looking for. But I'd feel better if someone went with them, especially since none of them know how to operate the submarine."
"Me?" I questioned, feeling uneasy. I glanced back at Ben's hospital room, where he was lying unconscious. "Why not Leo?"
"Leo didn't spend three months helping Kieran do deep sea scans." She pointed out. "And before you suggest getting Kieran to do it, he's still out of contact on that 'save the amazon' thing." She turned to face me fully. "Naomi, I know. If that were Chase or Leo or Emily in there, I'd be a completely mess."
"I'm not a complete mess." I said, even though I felt like I was about five minutes away from becoming one.
"I know. It shows that you're tougher than me." She replied. She sighed. "Naomi-"
She stopped herself as the room started to shake a little. A few of the nurses quickly went to stabilize things, and Calla and I both looked over at Ben. He was unconscious now, having passed out sometime while Horace was examining him earlier, and for the past hour or so, random earthquakes would shake the building. Horace had said that his father's powers had activated like that the rare times he'd been injured or brought into Mighty Med unconscious. The quakes weren't quite so bad yet, but they were growing stronger, which could only mean one thing: Ben was getting worse.
"I'll do it." I agreed. Calla's shoulders slumped in relief. "But as soon as Ben is okay, we're teaching all the kids to operate all the transportation vehicles."
"I'm all for it." She agreed. I nodded, then glanced back at Ben. "Do you want me to give you a moment?"
"Please." I replied, turning back to her. She squeezed my arm gently.
"I'll be outside." She promised, stepping away.
I watched her go before stepping back into Ben's hospital room. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if he would wake up if I spoke, but at this point, it didn't really matter. I stood next to the bed, watching his face for any sign of consciousness.
"I need you to hang on, alright? Ben?" I squeezed his hand. There was no response. I blinked a couple of times, feeling tears spring into the corner of my eyes. "Please, just...hang on until we get back. For me."
And then I did something even I hadn't expected to do: I leaned forward and quickly pressed my lips to his. I pulled away quickly, facing burning as if I'd just done something incredibly wrong.
Ben groaned a little and I froze, half hoping and half terrified that he'd wake up. His head rolled a little across the pillow, but ultimately his eyes stayed closed.
"I'll be back." I promised, squeezing his hand one last time before turning on my heel and walking away from him, hopefully not for the last time.
Xxx
"This is so cool." Kira said in awe, eyes wide as she stared out the window of the submarine. I glanced at her, before turning my attention back to maneuvering the submarine through the dark waters. Any other time I would be in complete agreement with her - I'd volunteered to spend my summer after I finished 11th grade helping Kieran Daniels with his work down here because I'd been in such awe of the underwater world - but right now, I couldn't focus on anything but completing the mission.
"Let's focus here, shall we? Sera, you're watching our location, right? How much deeper do I have to go?"
"At this speed, four minutes if you keep going in the same direction." She replied, then hesitated. She turned around in her seat. "Wait, Noah said that when you're on a boat here, you're supposed to use different words. Is that the same for submarines?"
"Doesn't matter." I waved my hand dismissively. I glanced over my shoulder at Kira. "You know what you're doing out there, right? Calla said that she walked you through collecting the archaea."
"Yeah, she made me recite it back to her. I know what I'm doing." She promised. "It's pretty straight forward."
"Good. Suit up; there are special mission suits in the lockers that'll protect you from the water, pressure, and heat. Kameron, she'll need some help with it."
"On it." Kameron nodded eagerly, heading to the back of the submarine with his twin. I turned my attention back to piloting the sub, trying really hard not to think about the millions of ways this could go wrong. Calla was right to send me with Sera and the twins after all. Between the random bursts from underwater geysers and the heat that threatened to cook us alive inside the submarine, even with Sera using her powers to try and keep the sub as cool as she possibly could.
"Alright, stop in thirty seconds." Sera called, and I began to slow our descent. I stopped after what I figured was the right amount of time.
"That good?" I questioned.
"Perfect." Seraphina replied. Kameron came back just then and took his seat in front of the scanner.
"Kiki's all set to go." He announced, getting comfortable. "She's in the airlock."
"Kira, can you hear me?" I hit a button on the dash and a holoscreen appeared, showing Kira standing in the airlock chamber. She was wearing the black and blue suit, a shimmering bubble around her head.
"This is so weird!" She responded, poking at the bubble.
"He can't pop that thing, right?" Sera questioned. I shook my head.
"Nah, Calla Kaz-proofed and Adam-proofed it when she first designed the prototype. I'm sure it can survive the latest generation of Broadmans." I replied. Kameron laughed out loud at that, causing me to crack a smile before talking back into the comms. "Alright Kira, you have the device?" She waved the tube-like device in the camera. "Alright, we should be in the area around where the Gammatolerans should be. You start scanning the bacteria and archaea in the water, and we'll let you know when you've found it."
"Right." Kira nodded.
"Good luck." I pressed another button and the airlock cracked open. Water began to flood the compartment until it surrounded Kira. The bubble around her head did its job, giving her clean air to breathe and protecting her from the pressure of the deep-sea water.
"Kameron, the moment you see what we're looking for, you tell us, alright? The second you see it." I told the electrokinetic.
"I know, Naomi." He sent me an annoyed look.
"I know you know, Kameron, but there's a lot at stake here." I reminded him.
"I know." He insisted again.
"Naomi." Sera called my name. I looked over at her and she gave me a kind smile. "We'll save him, okay? But getting frustrated isn't going to help anyone."
I opened my mouth to argue with her, then bit my lip. "You're right." I shook my head. I needed to focus here; Seraphina was arguably one of, if not the most mature person on this team, but she shouldn't have to be the voice of reason for everyone else. "Kameron, I'm sorry. What you've done today is exceptional work."
Kameron didn't say anything to that, but he did send me a grateful smile before going back to focus on the holoscreen in front of him.
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration and exhaustion. Time was running out, and this had to work. We didn't have time for this not to work. Ben didn't have time for this not to work.
"Stop. Kira, stop." I looked back up and spun around; Kameron was standing out of his seat, leaning over the screen. "Okay, now you need to collect a sample."
"She found it?" I questioned, getting up. He nodded.
"Yeah, she did." He nodded eagerly. "Nice job, Kira." He looked back at me. "Now we just have to get this back to Centium City."
Calla's POV
"How long until we know if it'll work or not?" Emily questioned, tapping her arm impatiently.
"It's hard to say, but..." I glanced at my Davenwatch, feeling cautiously optimistic, "...Ben's twenty-four hours were up an hour ago, and he's still fighting..."
I trailed off, glancing over my shoulder at Naomi. She was leaning against the wall across from Ben's room, arms crossed and chewing on a fingernail nervously as she stared at the door. Horace wouldn't let her into the room while they took care of Ben, and I could see it driving her nuts.
She wasn't the only one anxiously waiting for an update though; the rest of the kids were strewn around the waiting room. Kameron was skimming through one of the medical books that Naomi had left out, not quite reading it, but looking genuinely curious about it. Kira was pacing around the room, hands entwined behind her head. Seraphina was teaching Noah a Calderan card game, but it was clear that the two of them were only half-interested in the game. Leo was currently trying to talk Charlotte out of her second cup of coffee, while AJ and Katherine spoke quietly next to us.
"Emily?" Katherine looked over at us suddenly. "Do ya mind goin' wit Charlotte to get everyone some more coffee?"
"I thought she wasn't allowed any more coffee?" Emily asked. Leo sighed, walking over.
"Yeah, I've given up on that." He admitted. "Can you help her before she spills everyone else's drinks?"
"Sure." Emily shrugged before following after her cousin. Once the two of them were gone, Leo and Katherine both turned to me.
"So what are we going to do about them? Darius and 'Matt'..." She shook his head in exasperation as he said Marcus' fake name. "I'm going to kill him."
"You already had your chance, Leo. It's ma turn." Katherine said sternly. She gave me a look. "And you already got ta kill 'im, so don't get any ideas, Calla."
"Fine, but I get to kick Darius' ass." I replied, crossing my arms. "And if we manage to do it before the others get back, I get to do it a second time on Chase's behalf."
"Horace," Naomi said suddenly, getting our attention as the doctor walked back into the room.
"How's Ben?" Charlotte demanded as she and Emily rushed back, coffee splashing in the paper cups they'd been carrying. Horace almost chuckled at the sight, and I immediately relaxed; he wouldn't be laughing if he was about to deliver bad news, right? The others all surrounded Horace, anxious to hear his news.
"It looks like the formula that Dr. Lewis created was a success; his vitals are growing stronger by the second, and a body scan shows no sign of the Gargulon Gas particles." He announced, much to everyone's relief.
"So, he's going to be okay?" Seraphina questioned happily. Horace nodded.
"Now, he's still fairly weak." He cautioned, despite the warm smile on his face. "And without a way to completely remove all the gold from his system, his strength will never be what it was, but he should recover most of it." He looked over at Leo, Katherine, AJ, and I. "Obviously, I'll want to do a few more tests before I clear him, but he could be back to field work in a few weeks."
"Can we see him?" Noah demanded, looking at Horace imploringly.
"He needs his rest, but one or two visitors tonight wouldn't be a bad idea." He replied before glancing back at Naomi, who was staring at him intensely. "He was asking for you."
"He was?" She asked, tone nervous. He nodded and went to walk away. Leo waited a moment before clearing his throat.
"Hey, I know everyone's anxious to see Ben, but like Horace said, he does need his rest. And given the all-nighters you all pulled to help and everything that's happened these past couple of days, so do you. So why don't we all head home and get some sleep? We can come back tomorrow." He reminded them. It was almost touching the way everyone started to protest to the idea of going home, and part of me wanted to give in to them, but I could see the exhaustion on everyone's faces.
"I'll pull everyone out of school on Monday." I added as a bonus incentive. I'd already been planning on it anyway - they'd certainly earned a day off and I knew that Charlotte was more likely to agree to Leo and Katherine's plan of keeping her home for a few days if she could have the others with her - but it seemed to work pretty well as a bribe. Even Emily seemed to agree after I said those words.
I turned to Leo. "Do you mind taking them home? I should call Ben's mother - she's still snowed in at that airport in Philly and has been calling me for updates every hour."
"Yeah, of course." He agreed before turning to the others. "Anyone hungry? We can stop at McDonald's on our way home."
Naomi's POV
I knocked carefully on the door to Ben's hospital room, only coming in when I heard a faint response. Opening, I found Ben sitting up in his hospital bed, still looking pale and exhausted, but very much alive.
"Hey." I stepped inside and leaned against the door as I closed it, smiling at him. "Look who's awake."
"Yeah." He agreed, smiling tiredly at me.
"How're you feeling?" I asked gently. He grimaced.
"I imagine its what being hit by a car feels like." He admitted. I grimaced back sympathetically.
"Ouch." I replied. He nodded.
"I'm sorry." He apologized suddenly. I looked at him and frowned.
"For what?" I questioned, confused. He shrugged.
"I know I scared you. I didn't mean to." He explained. I nodded thoughtfully.
"Yeah, well...don't let it happen again." I mumbled, looking down at my shoes. He chuckled weakly in amusement.
"I'll do my best." He promised. I nodded again, this time remembering what he'd said to me earlier, and then what I'd done while he was unconscious.
"Li...listen, Ben, we should talk." I said seriously, looking up at him. He looked at me for a moment before nodding.
"Yes please. What did I miss?" He questioned. I hesitated again, then he said something that caught me by surprise. "The last thing I remember is Charlotte pushing me down a fire escape."
"I-wait, that's the last thing you remember?" I asked sharply. He nodded.
"Yeah. Horace said that between the fever and the trauma of this," he gestured vaguely at his bandaged side, "it wasn't surprising that my mind has a few holes in it. So, what happened?"
"I..." I swallowed thickly before forcing a smile on my face. "Kameron saved the day."
"Seriously?" He chuckled. I nodded, relaxing a little.
"He's a secret genius or something." I agreed, laughing a little myself. I moved over to the bed and started to tell him about how Kameron Broadman came up with the genius solution to save his life.
If he didn't remember what happened earlier, then maybe I could pretend that it didn't happen. And things could go back to normal.
Xxx
Kihonne: Alright, so I'm guessing that you Naomi/Ben shippers either hate or love me right now. That's a fair reaction, for sure. Anyway, I'll be back next week with another chapter, so stay tuned! This is the update schedule for the rest of the month:
October 11th – Aftermath
October 18th – Jingle Bells
October 31st – New Year
Anyway, until then guys, don't forget to review, and if you have any more baby name / gender suggestions, you only have 10 more days to submit them before I select a gender and choose which top 4 names you guys are going to get to vote between.