"A pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Wayne.", Leslie welcomed her as Martha had a small smile on her face. Martha replied, "It's good to see you again, Leslie...I'm sorry that I never got enough energy to talk with you at your place at times, but I'm grateful that you visited as much as you did back home...So, this is the lab you're especially proud to have...".
Leslie smiled, "Thank you, Martha...Has Bruce sprouted up a bit more since the last time I saw him?", and Martha chuckled, "Just a bit, but he's doing well enough too. Your flu and sickness shots worked good on him as he never had trouble when he visits me, strong and healthy, thank the Lord. I would have blamed myself if I ever got him sick.".
"That's good...That's very good. You're looking somewhat better too, a bit of color to your skin, and your hair is coming back to life somewhat, and your eyes are looking alive instead of tired or dull.", Leslie nodded with a smile as she looked over her first patient of this procedure.
Thomas asked, "Is she stable and healthy enough to take it, Dr. Thompkins?", being mixed between his professional tone and husband tone.
"If I've done my numbers; and I made sure to quadruple check them to be absolute, I believe she is.", Leslie said as Martha took a deep breath.
"You... you don't need to explain to me the risks, Thomas told me all about them but... if there's a chance, I'll take it.", Martha said as Leslie nodded.
"Actually, due to the recent application of the vials, I believe the odds are a bit more in a favor for you; still not great, but not as slim as they might have been.", Leslie replied. "Please don't give us the numbers, I think we'd rather just put a little faith behind it all.", Thomas said.
Leslie nodded, and then exhaled, "You know where the special bed is, Mr. Wayne, and there's a private folding screen with a set of special clothes to expand or fit within Mrs. Wayne when the procedure occurs. I will be in the console.", and Thomas nodded, helping Martha as he took her to the private folding screen, "You good to do it yourself?".
Martha nodded, "Yes. Those winter clothes wouldn't cut it anyway for Leslie's wishes as I see her point...Promise to stay close if I need help?".
"Of course.", Thomas said as Martha went behind the screen and started stripping before she noticed exactly what was waiting for her. From the looks of things, it wasn't just a simple hospital gown that may have gone through some sort of chemical treatments or that sort of thing but pretty much a simple bra and panty set.
From the feel of the bra and panty set, it's more durable than her favorite one-piece swimsuit, in the sense that the fabric is different somewhat, and it looks like it can be either snug or loose with advanced adaptability.
She went to put them on, realizing that even if the feel is different, the style is basically similar to a bikini swimsuit. She sighed in slight relief as it wasn't too much revealing, yet carefully modest, and that she gained some of her weight and muscle back thanks to the protein vials, even if Thomas reassured her so many times that he loves her no matter what, from being thin in staying in bed so much and trying to keep her normal physical numbers up like before she got sick.
After a few moments, she came back out as Thomas' eyes widened a bit, "Oh...". Martha blushed a bit. "Too revealing?", she asked as he shook his head.
"I apologize if that's not exactly what you would deem as proper attire but trust me, it's fairly necessary. We need as much of your body as exposed as possible. Thankfully my notes proved that we can still keep some modesty and retain the proper effect.", Leslie explained.
"You're the doc...", Martha sighed as she stretched a bit as best as she could. "Now, if you'll follow me into the chamber... Mr. Wayne, you can remain here, there's a properly shielded viewport we can watch from, which I'll show you in a moment.", Leslie said.
Martha replied, "Give us a moment, please?", and Leslie blinked before nodding, "Okay.", turning her attention to the console.
Thomas looked over her with a warm, tender, loving smile, "Didn't I tell you that I would love you always no matter what you look like? I...I'm keeping hope that this will work, but part of me, I'm terrified...I'm scared...".
"Thomas...I'm scared too, but we have to try... if something goes wrong...if there is time before the board gets alerted, try to take me home...try to give me a proper burial in the family graveyard...I know you wouldn't care about Wayne Entreprises anymore at that point. You take our son, Leslie, Alfred, somewhere where all of you can be safe...Go overseas to the family island if you must...Promise me that you will love Bruce, to protect him, to guide him into his life...", Martha whispered, caressing Thomas's cheek.
"I promise...", Thomas whispered as the two of them shared a kiss at that moment. It seemed to have lasted forever at the moment for them even if it was only a few seconds before they broke apart once more and Martha took a deep sigh before following Leslie to the 'chamber'.
As she walked in, she could see a metal table at the center that was slightly raised up and forward a bit, sort of like a bed, but completely straight as well as what appeared to be clamps for wrists and ankles. And above with was a strange looking device... in some way, it resembled a sort of laser projector that she had seen in movies.
Leslie saw her noticing at the device, and replied, "That's where the gamma rays come out, it's more like horizontal, like a fan sweeping and scanning over you from top to bottom.".
"And how painful when my body reacts with it?", Martha asked softly, and Leslie replied, "Can't lie to you that it would be perhaps a level higher or similar to the pain of giving birth...I have studied the blood samples your husband took for me, ones before you took the vials, and then afterwards, and now when this works, your new blood sample will be different, perhaps essentially healthier than the blood you had before you got sick. This should remove the Alderson's Disease from all over your body, and perhaps change some aspects of yourself, like your figure.", with a nod.
"My figure?", Martha raised an eyebrow. "Well, I said perhaps. And of course, it'll take us a few days for us to notice if anything worked.", Leslie said.
"Probably would find out much quicker if it didn't...", Martha snidely muttered before she headed over to the table. Leslie replied, "Alright then, and we need to make sure you don't really move much so... we'll have to keep you restrained.".
Martha nodded, "Right...And the gamma rays, they go all over me, including my backside as I'm facing it?", and Leslie nodded, "There's a reflection aspect of the table, so the gamma rays can deflect into the backside as well. After all, we have to make sure that every crevice, every toe and finger, and all are affected.".
"Makes sense...", Martha replied as she took a deep breath, and then moved to seat herself, shivering slightly at the cool touch of the metal, moving her legs lower as she made herself comfortable as best as she could while putting her arms and legs to rest the wrists and ankles through the open cuffs.
Leslie moved to secure the cuffs, closing them tight but not too tight to cut off the blood circulation, and glanced at Martha, "And I trust you took the last protein vial for dinner hours ago, no extra snacks or water since then?", and Martha replied, "Yes, I did, and no extra anything since, doc.", with a nod.
"Good.", Leslie nodded as Martha chuckled. "Not like I'd do anything to risk anything at this point, it's my life on the line after all.", Martha said as Leslie shook her head in agreement.
"True. Now, as I said, this will be painful... but seeing as you've given birth before; it might be somewhat familiar and manageable.", Leslie said with a hum.
Martha chuckled, "Leslie, almost 7 hours of labor and birth would be meager compared to this, what, at least 5, 10 minutes?", and Leslie replied, "Perhaps around that much, but still, the pain...Just warning you, okay, Martha?".
"Understood. And Leslie...thank you for everything...Could you promise to be a good friend for Thomas and help raise Bruce with him and Alfred?", Martha replied softly, and Leslie smiled warmly, "You know I will keep that promise...And besides, Mr. Wayne is right...The board would terminate me or secretly get someone to kill me on threat on giving all of this up if they find out, thanks to the meager security. I really tried to make sure that security is low tonight, but I can't promise we might make it out in time with...your corpse to bring home to Wayne Manor.".
Martha sighed, "That's fair, but try to, okay?", and Leslie nodded, "That, I can try. You're one of my best friends, Martha...Thank you for trusting me...I wouldn't change all those years of girl talks and such.", hugging Martha gently, and she can only move her head, slightly lean her torso, to hug into her friend's shoulder and front, "You're one of my best friends too, Leslie...Go be the best doctor you can be, and blow all those stupid men off their feet, okay?".
Leslie pulled away, "I will.", with a tearful smile, chuckling before taking a deep breath, "I'll signal you when everything is ready, and you give a nod when you're ready, alright?", and Martha smiled at her, "You got it, doc.".
Leslie took her lead before she returned to Thomas and motioned him to follow. The two of them reached the 'observation room' as Leslie started looking over some last-minute readings and equipment.
"So, we'll be safe in here?", Thomas asked as she nodded. "One hundred percent; I made constant sure with tests that this chamber would remain safe.", Leslie informed him as she took a deep breath before reaching to an intercom, "Mrs. Wayne, we're about to begin in a minute... are you all set?".
Martha took a deep breath, and nodded, replying clear and loud, "I'm ready, doc.", as she mildly tried to distract herself by thinking about her life, remembering wonderful memories with Thomas, Bruce, Alfred, Leslie, spurning all that courage with determination.
"Alright then... it'll be a few moments... you'll know for sure when it starts.", Leslie said as she cut off from the comm. "Are you ready?", she asked Thomas.
"As ready as I'll ever be...", Thomas sighed as he closed his eyes and looked away, not wanting to see what probably would hurt to see.
"Okay then...". A few presses of keys on a control panel and a switch before Leslie took a deep breath. "And... begin...", she said as she pulled a lever.
Martha waited perhaps 10 seconds before she heard a new sound, and glanced up, locking the sound from the gamma ray device that's powering up like it's going to start, and it then moved, getting lower until it is like in the middle of the air, about a considerable three feet above the table and her, and then moved forward to aim above the head, like Leslie said, to go from top to bottom, and then she then heard it whirring faster and faster as her eyes tried to see what's going on before seeing the glint of a bright glow green color, and she fought the instinct to get away as she kept still, waiting for the moment she will start to feel pain.
It came in quite the hurry as Martha couldn't help but suddenly scream when every nerve in her body practically exploded with pain. Martha's instincts now were trying to tear herself from the restraints, but it was all for naught as she continued to take wave after wave of gamma rays. Thomas wanted to cover his ears at just how much it sickened him to hear her screaming.
"So far, so good...", Leslie admitted which was a brief moment of good news to him, but the screams just kept being louder.
Martha couldn't think as she was practically on fire with the nerves changing in leaps and bounds throughout her body, and it was clear that it was much different than being in labor, yet similar at the same time when the waves of gamma rays reacted like contractions, as she threw her head back, almost instinctively pushing and arching her back, fighting the Alderson's Disease up to the surface of her skin to be taken out whether the disease wanted to or not.
As she continued to scream, down on a molecular level, her DNA was practically being torn apart and quickly reformed as soon as it was happening, changing her so much down below; in a way, there was no way she should still be alive but there was just something inside her that refused to let what was happening to her succumb, not just that but to thrive, to survive... to evolve.
Thomas' heart was in agony as he pleaded, "Leslie, please tell me that it's almost over!", praying that her screams didn't mean that she's dying in pain, as he counted, watching the clock, three torturingly long minutes so far, trying to fight his urge to turn around and see, to run to his wife.
"Still a bit longer...", Leslie admitted. "Please, don't do anything rash... trust me that what I'm doing is the answer.". Thomas held himself in place; knowing Martha might not forgive him if he ruined anything with what little time she would have left. Martha continued to struggle and move, restrained on the table as the pain ripped through her more and more.
Her lungs should have been hurting by now by the length of her screams and such, but somehow, she ignored it, almost like her lungs were able to let her breathe through her screams as they increased, her actions in response increased as if the worst of it was happening, like she was having Bruce crowning and stretching her nether regions out at his birth.
If Thomas and Leslie were closer... or if Martha was looking for a mirror in front of her, she would've seen that her eyes were suddenly glowing a very bright, almost radioactive shade of green that practically would pierce right into someone's soul in a metaphoric way.
What felt like almost an eternity, Leslie finally started shutting things off as Martha finally felt the pain subsiding... but it was still all too much for her as once the pain started to end; she could finally fall unconscious from just the sheer toll it was taking on her. Her eyes would also slowly start to revert back to their original color as her body was trying to recover from its ordeal.
Thomas heard the screams subsiding, and he saw his wife slump back as he wretched his eyes from the clock, and he widened his eyes as he shouted, "Martha!", his heart racing and tearing in agony even more.
Leslie replied, "Thomas, don't move for a few more seconds! I need to double check that everything is shut off!", checking everything as she moved the gamma ray device out of the way with the lever, with the sounds becoming silent, and she then replied, "It's all clear.".
At that, Thomas ran out and from the protected chamber as Leslie followed him, grabbing a couple of instruments, and he shouted, "Martha!", tears flying as he reached the special bed, touching her as she felt like she's scalding warm, getting back to normal temperature, his hands scrambling to release the cuffs before embracing her fully in his arms, "Martha, please...Please don't leave me, I love you!", barely noticing Leslie quickly putting her stethoscope on Martha's chest, "Thomas, quiet! I need to listen!".
Thomas shut up, watching Leslie anxiously as tears kept falling, and after a few minutes that seemed like a torturingly long eternity, Leslie then replied, "She's alive, Thomas...Her heartbeat is remarkably strong and got a good rhythm, practically better than when before she got sick.".
"She's...she's not dying?", Thomas sobbed in relief as it felt like finally, a heavy weight on his heart was leaving immediately, and Leslie shook her head, "No. I'd have to check her blood samples when she's up and going, but I think the disease is gone for good...She's merely exhausted and unconscious which I couldn't blame her for as that was a hell of an ordeal for her...She will probably wake up sooner or later.".
Thomas whispered, "Thank the Lord...", and Leslie replied, "We better hurry, and wrap her back in her outer winter garments and such. My lab may have been strong to muffle sounds and such for my tests and experiments, but you better get her back in the limo quick before security gets suspicious, if they hadn't already, thanks to the power I was using for the procedure.".