Daniel sat back in his chair and looked at the glass jar in front of him which contained a sample of a man-made virus. Little was known about it other than that it caused the host to slowly suffocate. There was no known cure and death was just a matter of time. It was supposed to have been destroyed, but in the way of such things a sample had survived. As he sat looking at the jar, he began to remember a time from his past where suffocation and death had seemed to be the only options.

Douglas Burns stretched, grateful to be out of the biohazard suit. He felt achey this morning and hot and the suit had been uncomfortable. "Must be a dose of the flu." He thought as he went to get some water. He picked up a glass and was just about to fill it when he was seized by a massive pain in his chest. He gasped and his hand clenched, shattering the glass. The pain lasted several minutes then stopped abruptly, leaving him gasping for breath. He leaned against the bench, his whole body trembling from reaction, his hand dripping blood where the glass had cut.

Edward walked down the corridor studying the preliminary reports on the new virus. So far the results were negative. He'd tried finding out where the virus had come from but Daniel, as usual, had been evasive. He sighed in irritation. He hated working blind, he preferred to have something to work from. It made the job a little easier. As he passed by one of the labs, he glanced in and noticed Douglas Burns standing by a bench, his hand covered in blood. "What happened?" he asked, going in.
"Oh, it's nothing." said Burns. "I stumbled and banged my hand on the bench. Broke the glass I was holding."
"Was there anything in it?" asked Edward.
"Just water." said Burns.
"Here, let me take a look at that hand." said Edward, taking Burns hand and turning it over. The palm and fingers were criss-crossed with cuts, one or two of them quite deep. Edward cleaned the cuts, never noticing when he was nicked by a small piece of glass. When he was done, he helped Burns clean up the mess on the floor. After admonishing Burns to take care of the hand, he left and continued on to the main lab.

Daniel was startled out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. "Anything wrong?" asked Michael as he walked in and saw the dark expression on Daniel's face.
"It's nothing." said Daniel. "I was just thinking about this virus. The sooner we find out what it does, the happier I'll be."
"The teams are working flat out." said Michael. "Is there any indication at all of what this virus does?"
"Other than what I told you, no." said Daniel. "My sources have all run into dead ends, so I guess it's up to our people now."
"We've got some of the best in the business, I'm sure they'll come up with something." said Michael confidently.

Next morning Edward awoke feeling hot, his body aching and there was a burning pain in his chest. "Oh great." he moaned. "This is all I need." Once he got up and started moving around the pains slowly went, all except for the pain in his chest. That remained. He didn't think too much about it as he drove down to the manor, putting it down to a bout of the flu. As he walked into the room where Kim was getting a cup of tea, she looked up and noticed that he was looking a little flushed.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
"I'm fine, just a touch of flu. It's nothing to worry about." Edward replied with a smile. "How are the tests coming?" he asked, changing the subject.
Kim gave him a dark look, frowning in irritation. She knew that he was hiding something but there would be no getting it out of him. "There's still no response from the virus." she said. "It doesn't respond to any stimuli and none of the anti-viral agents have any affect on it. It's a complete mystery."
"There must be something." said Edward. He sighed and went to a cupboard to find himself a mug. Just as he was about to pick one up, he experienced a sudden searing pain in his chest. He staggered cutting himself as he knocked over and broke a glass, his other hand held tight across his chest. Kim, hearing his gasp of pain, rushed over to him.
"Edward, what's happening?" she asked, alarmed at how pale he had gone.
Edward shook his head, unable for a moment to answer. Thinking he was having some sort of heart attack, he sank to his knees on the floor. As he did, the pain died away leaving nothing but a burning sensation in his lungs. He looked at Kim who was kneeling anxiously beside him. "It's all right." he gasped in relief. "It's over."
"What's over? What happened?" she asked.
"I don't know." said Edward. "I got this pain in my chest like I was having a heart attack."
"Heart attack?" said Daniel as he walked through the door, Michael close behind. "You shouldn't be having heart attacks." He knelt beside Edward and briefly examined him. "You're running a slight temperature. How are you feeling?"
"Like I've got flu." said Edward. "My lungs are on fire and my chest feels tight." He was feeling short of breath too, but didn't remark on it.
"Nothing else?" asked Daniel.
"My hand hurts like hell." replied Edward with a half smile.
Daniel gave him an exasperated look before examining his hand. There was a deep cut across the palm which was bleeding profusely. "How did you come by this?"
"I broke a glass." said Edward.
"You might need a couple of stitches." said Daniel. "Kim, would you find us a first aid kit please?" He stood up and turned to Michael. "We need to know if this is an isolated incident or if it's going around the facility." he said.
"I'll start asking questions." said Michael.
"Good." said Daniel. "And as for you," he said, watching Edward stand up, "I want a full series of tests done. I want to know what you've got."

Michael made his way around the facility making enquiries. So far no-one had had so much as a cold and he was more than half way around. He stopped by a small lab just off the main corridor and had a look inside. It looked to be empty but just as he was about to go he noticed movement inside a cupboard at the back. He knocked on the door and went in, saying "Excuse me." A tall man with glasses and thick greying hair stepped out from the cupboard. Michael recognised him at once. "Dr. Adams. I need to ask you some questions." he said.
"Certainly Mr. Hailey. What can I do for you?" asked Adams.
"Have you or anyone on your staff experienced any flu symptoms over the last couple of days?" asked Michael.
"Not that I know of." said Adams. "Oh, wait a moment. Douglas Burns rang in sick. Sounded quite ill."
"Did he say what was wrong?" asked Michael.
"Something to do with his chest." said Adams. "Is there something going on that I should know about?"
"We're not sure." said Michael evasively. "We'll let everyone know when we find out anything."
Adams gave Michael a speculative look. "I'm sure you'll tell us whatever you think is necessary." he said.
"I'm sure we will." Michael said and took his leave. He continued around the facility, but encountered no other reports of illness.

" Right." said Kim. "Let's get started." As she took a sample of blood from Edward, she realised that he was breathing heavily as though he had been running. "Edward, are you having trouble breathing?" she asked.
"My chest feels tight." he replied. What he didn't say was that he was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe.
"So you said earlier." said Kim. She frowned, knowing Edward's talent for understatement. What he admitted to was usually only about one tenth of what he was feeling. "I want some scans done." she said. "We need to see if you're lungs are filling up."
"I'll make sure the scans happen." said Daniel. He had the chill feeling that this was somehow connected to the new virus, but how? There had never been open contact with the virus, all work having been carried out in biohazard suits. He found it both puzzling and disturbing.
When Kim was finished Daniel escorted Edward across the facility, stopping several times to allow him to catch his breath. When they finally got there, Edward was feeling tired and dizzy and was relieved to lie down and rest. Deeply concerned for Edward's condition, Daniel waited impatiently for the results. As he paced backwards and forwards images of Africa flashed through his mind. Try as he might, he couldn't shake them.

"Dr. Cassian? Dr. Cassian."
Daniel looked up distractedly as he heard his name called.
"We have the results of the Dr. Marcase's scans." said Anne Sheldon, the chief radiographer.
"Oh. Right." said Daniel, trying to gather his thoughts. He went over and looked at the display on the screen. It showed a dark shadow covering the entire area of Edward's lungs.
"What is it?" asked Anne, looking over his shoulder.
"I don't know." said Daniel. "But I don't like the look of it."
"The look of what?" asked Edward as he joined them.
"This." said Daniel, indicating the screen in front of him.
"Looks almost like some kind of cancer." said Edward.
"There's only one way to be sure." said Daniel. "We need to do an endoscopy."
"You're not sticking a tube down my throat." said Edward, appalled by the idea. It was hard enough to breathe as it was.
"Edward, we need to know for certain what this is." said Daniel patiently.
"Find another way." said Edward adamantly.
"Why don't we wait and see what the rest of the tests show first." said Daniel.
"You know something, don't you?" asked Edward as the two of them made their way back to the lab.
"I don't know anything." said Daniel. "I'm just guessing based on the symptoms you've exhibited so far."
Edward was about to make an angry retort but had to stop to get his breath instead. "You think it's the new virus, don't you?" demanded Edward when he could finally speak.
"Please try to calm down." said Daniel. "You're only making it worse for yourself."
Edward just glared at him, knowing he was right and hating it. It took him several long moments to settle down enough to carry on and the rest of the journey to the main lab was carried out in silence. Feeling dizzy and a little sick, Edward sank gratefully onto the nearest stool. He looked up, surprised, when Daniel gripped his shoulder briefly in passing.
"Okay Kim, what have you got for us?" asked Daniel.
"Preliminary tests show evidence of a virus in Edward's blood. I compared it with the samples of the unknown virus and they match." she said. "I noticed something else. There is a definite drop in the level of oxygen in Edward's blood. When I tested the other sample I found there was no oxygen at all."
"I was afraid of this." said Daniel. "The scans show the infection is in Edward's lungs. I think we need to do an endoscopy to determine what's happening."
"Come on Cassian, you're hiding something. What is it?" said Edward.
Daniel debated not telling them. The information was after all classified, but this time one of his people was being affected. "It's called Berkleys Virus after it's creator Thomas Berkley." he said, at last. "It disappeared about 10 years ago and it was thought at the time that Berkley had destroyed all traces of it. Obviously that wasn't the case. Not much is known about it, all documentation was destroyed along with the virus. All we do know is that it causes acute respiratory distress."
"And?" asked Edward, knowing that Daniel was holding something back.
"And death." replied Daniel reluctantly.
"All the more reason to do an endoscopy." said Kim.
"No." Edward stated firmly.
"It would be useful to see what the virus is doing." said Daniel, not looking at Edward.
"No." Edward repeated, even more firmly.
Both Kim and Daniel looked at him and then looked at each other. "Under anaesthetic." they said, simultaneously.

Michael drew up outside a neat little suburban house. He could see a car parked on the driveway next to a well-tended lawn but there was no sign of anyone around. He approached the house and peered through a front window. Not seeing anything, he knocked on the door. Getting no response, he moved around to the back and tried the door there. Surprisingly, it was open. Michael entered, calling out, "Anybody home?" He moved into the house and called again. "Burns? You here?" The only response was a muffled noise from upstairs. Gun in hand, he went to investigate and found Burns in his room, barely able to breathe and racked by bouts of violent coughing. Michael quickly called Daniel.
"Cassian."
"This is Hailey. We have a situation." said Michael. "Burns is definitely infected with something. Has Marcase shown any symptoms yet?"
"He's having difficulties breathing." replied Daniel. "Scans show some kind of substance in his lungs."
"Burns is suffering respiratory distress." said Michael. "We need to bring him in stat."
"I'll make the arrangements." said Daniel.

Edward lay unconscious, his breathing harsh around the tube being fed down his throat. Daniel and Kim watched the monitor, seeing how the lining of the lungs was covered by an unknown substance. "That must be what the virus uses to absorb oxygen." said Kim.
"No wonder he can't breathe." said Daniel. "We need to get a sample of it to analyse."
"Okay." said Kim. She manoeuvred the probe into position and retrieved a small sample of the substance. Once she was satisfied that she had what she wanted, she withdrew the probe. After making sure that Edward was comfortable, she and Daniel went back to the lab to start running tests. "I can't believe how quickly it's spread." said Kim.
"Neither can I." said Daniel grimly.
A short time later, a tired and subdued Edward made his way to the lab to see how they were doing. He couldn't face being in a biohazard suit so he stayed outside and spoke to them through and intercom. "Have you found anything yet?" he asked.
Daniel looked up at him and said, "You should be resting."
"I can rest just as easily here." said Edward. He hated to admit it but the walk from the room where he'd been asleep had exhausted him. He was also getting a headache. He placed a stool close to the window and sat down, his body feeling like it was made from lead.
"The virus creates a substance which absorbs most of the oxygen from the lungs, leaving just enough to keep the host alive." Kim said. "It starts slowly until it is established then there is a brief period of accelerated reproduction."
"The seizure?" asked Edward.
"Yes." replied Kim. "The pain is caused by a reaction to the substance." She paused and looked at Edward. "You really should be resting." she said.
"I'd rather be here." said Edward. He was tired and hurting and a little afraid. The last thing he wanted right now was to be on his own.
"Edward." Kim began but Daniel cut her off.
"Kim. Let him stay." he said. Both Kim and Edward were surprised, this was not like Daniel at all.
"Thank you." said Edward, not sure of what else to say.
"Just make sure you don't move around." said Daniel with a warning look. "Now, let's get back to work."

They worked all afternoon and on into the evening, Edward giving what help he could. His headache got steadily worse and the bright lights in the lab began to hurt his eyes. Feeling dizzy and sick, he was eventually forced to go and lie down. After watching him make his unsteady way out of the lab Kim turned on Daniel. "Why did you allow Edward to stay, when he clearly needed to rest?" she demanded.
"He needed to be in company." said Daniel.
"There's more to it than that." said Kim. "What is it?"

Daniel was silent for a long moment, looking down and away from Kim. A muscle twitched along his jaw as he remembered. Eventually he spoke. "Many years ago I was part of a team in Africa, investigating an outbreak of Marburg virus." he said. "There were six of us working in a lab when there was a guerrilla attack. We were trapped inside the lab with nothing but the air in our suits. We couldn't use the air in the room because it had been contaminated. I watched as one by one my fellow team members died. Being one of the last in, I had the most air. Those people who couldn't face suffocation exposed themselves to the virus. In the end just two of us survived." he paused and looked up at Kim. "So you see, I know what Edward is going through." Without another word he turned and left the lab, Kim staring silently after him.

Edward slept fitfully throughout the evening and into the night. Daniel checked in on him a few times as well as on Burns, whose condition was deteriorating. "I wish there was something we could do." Daniel said to Kim, when he returned to the lab. "Burns condition is becoming critical."
"We could try the oxygen again." suggested Kim.
"I don't want to risk it." said Daniel. "The last time we tried it only excited the virus, stimulating growth." He sighed, rubbing a hand across tired eyes. "Have you found anything in those samples we took from him?"
"The substance is different from Edward's." said Kim. "More caustic. I believe it's what's causing the coughing."
"Burns' condition is more advanced than Edward's." mused Daniel thoughtfully. "It's possible this is the next stage."
"Edward's going to have to go through this?" asked Kim.
"Unless we can find a way to stop it." said Daniel. "Are we any closer to finding out how this is transmitted?"
"We know it's not airborne, it can't be in the food or water." said Kim. "It must be by contact somehow."
"But how?" asked Daniel. "We've both been in contact with him and neither of us are infected."
"We don't know that." said Kim. "We haven't established a vector for the disease yet."
"You're right, of course." said Daniel disctractedly. He kept seeing an image of Helen Carter after she broke the bottle containing the Marburg virus. She had become infected through the cuts on her hand. He started suddenly, realising the significance of the thought. "Did Burns have any cuts of any kind?" he asked.
"He had some cuts on his hand." said Kim. "Why do you ask"
"If I'm right, the virus is passed through contact with infected blood." said Daniel. "We need to find out if Edward had any contact with Burns when he cut his hand."
"If you're right, then you've been infected too." said Kim quietly.
"Yes." said Daniel, thinking of Africa.

Next morning Michael joined Kim and Daniel in the lab. "How's it going?" he asked.
"Not good." said Daniel. "I've definitely been infected."
"You have the flu-like symptoms?" asked Kim.
"Woke up with them this morning." said Daniel. "Shouldn't be long now before I have the seizure."
"How can you be so calm about this?" asked Michael.
"Practice." said Daniel off-handedly, trying not to show that he was anything but calm. "I'm going to..." he began but got no further as pain tore across his chest. Michael grabbed him as he staggered and helped him over to a stool. Within minutes the pain went leaving him gasping in relief. "That is quite a nasty piece of work." he said emphatically.
"How do you feel?" asked Kim.
"A little short of breath but otherwise fine." replied Daniel. "I'm going to go talk to Edward. Why don't you make a start in the lab?"
"I'm going to need to run some tests on you." said Kim.
"I won't be long." said Daniel. "Michael, why don't you see if you can find out how Burns got infected? We need to make sure this doesn't spread any further."
"Sure." said Michael. "I'll report back later."

Edward moved restlessly, his body aching and his chest on fire. He felt disinclined to get up yet he couldn't sleep either. He'd been offered breakfast but the thought of food just made him feel ill. He glanced toward the door and noticed Daniel standing watching him. "How's it going?" he asked.
"Not good." said Daniel coming into the room. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been hit by a bus." said Edward. "You don't look so good yourself. You've been infected haven't you?"
"Got it from you." said Daniel. "We think it's being passed by contact with infected blood."
"When you cleaned my hand yesterday." said Edward. "Of course, that's how I got it from Burns. He cut his hand the other day. I cleaned the glass out of it."
"I was just going to ask you about that." said Daniel. "At least now we know how it's being transmitted."
"How is Burns?" asked Edward.
"His condition's deteriorating rapidly. This morning he went into a coma." said Daniel. "I don't think he's going to last much longer."
"Guess I've got all that to come." said Edward morosely.
"We'll get through this." said Daniel, as confidently as he could. He just wished he believed it.

Kim looked up as Daniel walked into the lab. "How is he?" she asked, referring to Edward.
Daniel stood for a moment, confused. He was still thinking of Mark Powell. "Uh, he's about as well as can be expected." he said, trying to recover his thoughts. "He definitely contracted the virus from Burns. He cleaned out those cuts on Burns' hand."
"The question is, how did Burns get it?" asked Kim.
"Hopefully Michael will turn up the answer." said Daniel. He sat down on a stool, feeling suddenly tired. "This is like having a bad case of altitude sickness." he said.
"When were you up a mountain?" enquired Kim with a smile.
"It was a long time ago." replied Daniel evasively. "How are you coming along with the tests?" he added, before she could ask anything further.
Kim's smile vanished and she became serious again. "The virus still doesn't respond to any of our anti-viral agents. I've tried everything I can think of and nothing works."
"We need to know at what point stage 2 starts." said Daniel.
"Without having a viable culture, there's no way to tell." replied Kim.
"You've had no success infecting the monkeys?" asked Daniel.
"None." said Kim. "It would seem the virus only reacts to humans."
Daniel swore under his breath. "We'll have to keep Edward under close observation from now on. It's the only way we're going to find out anything."
"And he's not the only one." said Kim pointedly.
Daniel frowned darkly but refrained form saying anything. However much he disliked being a patient, he knew Kim was right. "I'll have Burns and Edward brought in here so we can monitor them." he said after a moment.
"Good idea." said Kim. "I'll get everything ready."

Daniel stood before the biohazard suits, trying to get up the nerve to put one on. His hand shook as he reached out to touch one, scenes of Africa flashing through his mind. "Never could abide those things." said a familiar voice behind him. Daniel swung around, instantly regretting the action as dizziness overtook him.
"That's what comes of nearly dying in one." said Daniel through gritted teeth.
"Are you all right?" asked Michael coming up to him.
"A little dizzy, that's all." replied Daniel. He looked up at the man who had spoken first. It was Henry Fellowes.
"Hello Daniel. It's good to see you again." said Fellowes.
"Henry." said Daniel, bemused. "What are you doing here?"
"My sources tell me you have samples of the Berkley virus here in this facility." replied Fellowes.
Daniel sighed. "Doesn't anyone know how to keep secrets anymore?" he asked tiredly.
"Apparently not." said Fellowes. "You've contracted the virus, haven't you?"
"I've got it." said Daniel, not seeing any point in denying it. "So have two of my people."
"How far along are they?" asked Fellowes.
"One is in a coma, the other is just about to enter the coughing stage." replied Daniel.
"I'd like to see them if I could." said Fellowes.
"Sure." said Daniel. "And then we talk."
Fellowes smiled. "Then we talk." he said.
Daniel led the way into the main lab, taking it slowly so he didn't get too much out of breath. Fellowes and Michael followed him in silence, keeping to his pace and not pushing him. As they entered, Daniel stopped and looked at Edward, who was shifting restlessly on the bed. As he watched Edward's chest heave as he struggled for air, he saw instead a young doctor lying on the floor of a lab, ravaged by Marburg virus as he slowly suffocated. He had had a brilliant career ahead of him and would have been a rising star in the medical field. Now all that was in ruins as he lay dying on the floor....

A hand on his shoulder startled Daniel out of his thoughts. "It's like watching Mark all over again, isn't it?" asked Fellowes quietly.
"Too much." said Daniel. He crossed the room to where Edward was lying. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"My chest.." began Edward but he got no further. He started coughing and it was several long minutes before he could stop. He rolled onto his side, his arms tight about his chest as the fit overtook him. Not knowing what else to do for him, Daniel held him until the fit passed. "Thanks." said Edward when he could speak again. He felt exhausted and sick and his body ached abysmally.
"I know it's hard, but try and get some rest." said Daniel. Edward nodded, unwilling to say anything further.
"May I?" asked Fellowes, coming up beside Daniel.
Edward looked at him and then at Daniel and mouthed the question, "Who?"
"Dr Henry Fellowes." said Daniel.
Fellowes gave Edward a quick examination. He sighed, relieved. "All the classic symptoms of the A strain." he said.
"A strain?" said Daniel, surprised. "You mean there's more than one?"
"It was rumoured that Berkley developed a B strain and that it was far, far worse." replied Fellowes.
Daniel looked at Edward. "How much worse could this get?" he asked.
"Believe me, you don't want to know." replied Fellowes.
Daniel shook his head. "I think it's time we had that talk." he said. "Michael, will you stay with Edward?"
"Sure." said Michael.

"So." said Daniel as he sat facing Fellowes across his office. "Would you like to tell me what involvement you have with the Berkley virus?"
"I headed the team that shut the project down." replied Fellowes. "Berkley was becoming too unstable so it was decided the time had come to terminate the project. Unfortunately someone tipped him off and he destroyed almost everything, keeping only the one sample. Until now, we didn't know which it was."
"So now we become your lab rats." said Daniel bitterly.
"If I had known you had the virus, I would have come sooner." said Fellowes. "Just how did you come by the virus?"
"My sources ... 'acquired' it." said Daniel.
"You were always good at that sort of thing." said Fellowes. "How did you come to be infected by it?"
"We don't know yet how Burns contracted it, but Marcase and I got it by contact with infected blood." replied Daniel.
"Whose?" asked Fellowes.
"In my case, Marcase's and in his case, Burns'." said Daniel.
"So you passed it along to each other." mused Fellowes. "Both Marcase and Burns had bandages on their hands. I presume that was the point of contact?"
"They both cut their hands when they had the seizure." said Daniel.
"Has anybody else displayed signs of being infected?" asked Fellowes.
"No." said Daniel. "We've regularly been testing everybody here at the facility. All tests have proved negative."
"Good." said Fellowes. "What about outside the facility?"
"None of the local hospitals have reported any patients with breathing difficulties." replied Daniel.
"Then it would appear to be contained." said Fellowes. "How are you coming along with finding a cure?"
"We're not." said Daniel. "Every test is negative. Nothing we have touches the virus."
"We'll just have to keep trying." said Fellowes. "I'd like to join your team, help out in any way I can."
"Glad to have you on board." said Daniel.

"I need to go check something out." said Michael. "I'll be back a little later."
Edward nodded and mouthed the word 'Okay'.
Michael felt reluctant to leave, but something was bothering him. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, just that it was related to oxygen. Checking that everything at the facility was secure, he drove home and began to go through all his books, knowing that what he wanted was somewhere there. Many hours later, he found it.

"This is getting us nowhere." said Kim in frustration.
"You're not suggesting we give up?" asked Fellowes.
"Of course not." said Kim sharply. Then more gently, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I guess I'm just tired."
"When did you last get any sleep?" asked Daniel, from outside the lab.
"I don't remember." said Kim. She stretched wearily. "I'm going to get some tea. Would you care to join me?"
"Thank you, but no." said Fellowes. "I'll stay on here for a while."
"Sure." said Kim. "I'll be back soon." A few minutes later she was out of the biohazard suit and standing by Daniel. "Can I get you anything?" she asked.
"Coffee, if you wouldn't mind." said Daniel.
As she was about to go, Kim paused and said, "You know, as much as I hate to admit it, I could really use one of Edward's intuitive leaps of logic right now."
Daniel smiled. "So could I." he said.
After the brief break, Kim suited up again and they continued on with the work, Daniel offering comments and suggestions from the sidelines. As the afternoon wore into evening, Daniel began to feel increasingly ill. "Why don't you go and get some rest?" suggested Kim. "Henry and I can continue here."
"That sounds like quite a good idea." said Daniel. "I think I will."
Making his unsteady way out of the lab, he decided to check on Edward before going to bed. When he saw how badly Edward was affected by the coughing he decided to stay with him, helping him as best he could. By morning both men were exhausted. Daniel groaned and stretched, his body feeling leaden and sore. He had a splitting headache too and the lights in the lab didn't help. He needed to lie down but he could hardly find the energy to get out of his chair. He closed his eyes briefly to try and ease his headache and was asleep before he knew it. Michael found him that way a short time later.
"Daniel." he said, gently shaking Daniel by the shoulder.
Daniel stirred. "What?" he asked groggily.
"You should be in bed. Come on, I'll take you there." said Michael.
"How's Edward?" asked Daniel.
"He appears to be sleeping. Now come on." said Michael.
"I need to check on him before I go." said Daniel stubbornly.
"No you don't." said Michael. "Kim can do that. You're going to bed."
Daniel sighed, knowing it was useless to argue. He pushed himself to his feet and swayed, almost going down as he was struck by a huge wave of dizziness and nausea. Michael had to hold onto him to keep him on his feet. "I don't think I can make it." he said, squeezing his eyes tight shut to try and stop the room from spinning around.
"I'll get a bed set up in here." said Michael, alarmed at how pale Daniel had gone. He helped Daniel back into the chair and left hurriedly, issuing orders as he went.

"You should have called me." Kim scolded as she checked Daniel over. "You're in no condition to be pushing yourself like this. It just makes more work for the rest of us. You and Edward are as bad as each other."
"How is Edward?" asked Daniel.
"Not good." stated Kim. Seriously weakened by the night-long ordeal, Edward had slipped into a coma. Kim thought about telling Daniel, but decided he would be better off not knowing. "Make sure you stay in this bed." she admonished. "I'll be back to check on you both later."
"Yes ma'am." said Daniel meekly. He thought for a moment Kim was going to hit him, her expression having grown thunderous. Instead, she stormed out the room muttering imprecations. He looked across the room at Edward and knew what had happened without Kim having to tell him. Haunting images of Mark Powell's last moments drifted across his mind and he had to fight down the grief that engulfed him. He dreaded the thought of going through it all again.

Kim stormed into the lab where Michael was waiting for her. As soon as she saw him the anger that had been building exploded. "Who does he think he is?!" she demanded. "Does he think this is some kind of game? Does he think his position confers some kind of immunity?" She paused and glared at Michael. "I hope you don't go in for this machismo nonsense, I've got enough problems with those two!"
Michael raised his hands in surrender. "I know better than to get you mad at me." he said.
"Good." said Kim. Her outburst over, she relaxed feeling suddenly tired.
"Why don't you sit down and I'll make you some tea." suggested Michael.
"That would be wonderful, thank you." said Kim with a small smile.
Michael fixed himself a coffee at the same time as he made Kim tea. He gave her the steaming mug and asked, "Would a reduction in the volume of oxygen be enough to kill the virus?"
"It feeds off the oxygen in the host so yes, removing the oxygen would kill it." replied Kim. "But if you take away the oxygen, you kill the host."
"Not necessarily." said Michael. "Deep sea divers use a nitrogen-rich air mixture. The added nitrogen might be enough to kill the virus."
"It might work." said Kim doubtfully.
"Not without killing the host." said Henderson from the doorway. "The virus will just take the remaining oxygen and leave nothing for the host." He came forward into the room. "It's a good idea though."
"Is there any reason we can't let the host die? At least for a few minutes." asked Michael.
Kim and Fellowes looked at each other. "How long after the host dies will the virus die?" asked Kim.
Fellowes thought for a few minutes. "Too long." he said eventually. "By the time it's used up the remaining oxygen in the body plus however much was in the last lungful of air, it's going to be too late to revive the host."
"What if the last lungful of air didn't contain any oxygen?" asked Michael.
"What are you getting at?" asked Fellowes.
"Haven't you seen at kids parties where they breathe in the helium from balloons?" asked Michael. "A couple of breaths of helium right before we kill the host and the virus won't have that extra oxygen to work from."
"You know, it could work." said Fellowes.
"I can see only one problem." said Kim. "Burns almost certainly isn't strong enough and Edward may not be either."
"I don't see we have any choice." said Fellowes. "We can run tests on samples to see if it'll work, but ultimately we're going to have to try something."
"You're right." said Kim. "Why don't you go and set it up? I'll be along in a few minutes."
"Sure." said Fellowes.
When he had gone, Kim said quietly, "I don't like this, it's their lives we're playing with."
"I know, but what else can we do?" said Michael. "At least Edward and Daniel have both experienced death before."
Kim made as if to comment, but changed her mind. Giving Michael a dark look, she left and went to join Fellowes in the lab.

"It's working!" said Fellowes enthusiastically. "The virus is dying! All that's left now is to try it on one of our patients."
"I suggest we try Daniel first." said Kim reluctantly. "He's the strongest and most likely to survive the process."
"Good idea." said Fellowes. "While I set everything up, why don't you tell him what's going on?"
"All right." said Kim. As she turned to leave, alarms started ringing around the complex. She looked at Fellowes and then left the lab at a run. Fellowes hesitated a moment and then followed. As they came into the lab, Michael was waiting for them. "What's going on?" asked Kim.
"Burns has just died." replied Michael.
Kim bowed her head in frustration. She knew they'd had almost no hope of saving Burns, but the loss hurt just the same. She looked up at Fellowes. "I guess we'd better get on with this." she said.
"I'll get what I need." said Fellowes.
After he had gone, Kim went over to Daniel. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Pretty rough." said Daniel.
"We've found something that might help." said Kim. "We've found that the only way to kill the virus is to deprive it of oxygen."
Daniel frowned. "How are you going to do that without killing the host?"
"We're not." said Kim. "The idea is to give you some helium and then stop your heart for a few minutes. That should be enough to eradicate the virus."
"Helium?" said Daniel. He considered a moment and then asked, "Will the virus be gone by the time you need to bring me back?"
"I don't know." said Kim. "That's a chance we'll have to take."
"What about Edward?" asked Daniel. "Is he strong enough to go through this?"
"Whether he is or not, we have no choice but to try." said Kim.

"Are you ready?" asked Kim.
"Yes." said Daniel. He felt strangely calm despite the fact that he was giving up his life, albeit for just a few moments. He had complete trust in Kim's abilities and knew that if anyone could make this work, she could. He closed his eyes as she put the mask over his face and descended into oblivion.
"It's done." said Fellowes. "Now all we have to do is wait."
They waited in silence as the long slow minutes ticked by. To Kim, it was almost unbearable. Her every instinct told her to revive her patient, but she knew she had to wait. Finally, it was time.
"Whenever you're ready." said Fellowes softly.
Kim carefully inserted the needle into Daniel's chest and injected the epinephrine. There was a tense moment as nothing happened and then Daniel drew in a deep breath. He coughed weakly and his eyes flickered open. It took a moment for his sight to focus properly but he dimly recognised Kim standing beside him chafing his wrist. "Kim." he said.
"Welcome back." Kim replied. "How do you feel?"
"Tired but okay." said Daniel. "Breathing is still a little difficult but there's no more burning."
"That's good." said Fellowes. "We'll need to do a blood test to see if the virus is completely eradicated, but it looks hopeful at least."
"What about Edward?" asked Daniel.
"We won't do anything with him until we have your test results." said Kim. "There's no point putting him through all this if it's not going to work."
"Agreed." said Daniel. "Let me know as soon as you have anything."
"We will." said Kim. She smiled at him and left, taking Fellowes with her.
Michael came up beside Daniel and said softly, "Thought we were going to lose you."
"So did I." replied Daniel. "We might still lose Edward."
"Kim will do everything she can to prevent that." said Michael.
"I know she will." said Daniel.
"You're thinking of Mark, aren't you?" asked Michael.
"Yes." said Daniel "How did you know?"
"Fellowes told me." said Michael. "Must have been pretty rough."
"It was." said Daniel. "Mark was a good friend, in many ways a lot like Edward. He could be headstrong and stubborn and would always stick with what he believed in, no matter how improbable it seemed."
Michael smiled. "Could you imagine the two of them together?"
"Good grief." said Daniel. "One's bad enough." He glanced over to Edward. "I just hope we don't lose him." he said.
"Not if I can help it." said Kim, coming into the room. She smiled at Daniel. "Your tests came back negative. You're clear of the virus."
"Thank you." said Daniel gratefully.
"As soon as Henry is ready, we'll start on Edward." said Kim.
"I'm here." said Fellowes. "Are you ready?"
"I'm ready." said Kim.
They gave Edward the helium and stopped his heart and then the waiting began. To Daniel it seemed like an eternity before Fellowes injected Edward with the epinephrine. Then there was a long tense moment while they waited for it to take effect. Daniel fidgeted, certain that it wasn't working. Before he could say anything Edward drew a deep breath and started coughing. He fought for breath for a few moments and then relaxed as his breathing became easier. A few minutes later he opened his eyes and looked blearily around the room.
"Good to have you back with us." said Daniel.
Edward looked across at him. "It's good to be back." he replied, a little hoarsely. "What happened?"
"We found a way to destroy the virus." said Kim. "Unfortunately we had to kill you to do it."
Edward thought about that for a few minutes. "I guess it makes sense." he said finally. "The virus is completely eradicated?"
"We won't be absolutely certain until we've done blood tests, but it worked for Daniel." replied Kim. "Now, before you ask any more questions I want you to get some rest."
"Sure." said Edward. He was finding it increasingly difficult to stay awake and welcomed Kim's suggestion.
Kim looked at Daniel. "The same goes for you. No arguments." she said, forestalling a protest.
Daniel sighed. He wouldn't admit to it, but he was feeling tired.

"We almost didn't make it." said Daniel. He was drinking coffee with the rest of his team and Henry Fellowes, several days after he and Edward had both been cured. "Henry and I were literally on our last gasp of oxygen when Smith blew the lock on the door."
"Fortunately they'd been able to borrow a small generator off a local farmer and had scrubbed the air, so there was no risk of contamination. I've never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life." said Fellowes, smiling.
"Nor have I." said Daniel. "It took me a long time before I could face another biohazard suit after that. Every time I got near one I felt like I was suffocating."
"I never could get back into one." said Fellowes. "It used to make me sick just thinking about it."
"I'm not surprised." said Edward. "It was bad enough as it was without being in a suit too."
"Were you tempted to take your suit off at all and breathe the contaminated air?" asked Kim
"I was but Daniel talked me out of it." replied Fellowes. He looked at Daniel. "Did you ever think of taking the suit off?"
"All the time." replied Daniel, surprisingly candid. "But every time I did, I thought of all that we had fought for and how it would be for nothing if I just gave up. I couldn't let that happen so I hung on."
"That famous Cassian stubbornness." said Fellowes
"Tell me about it." said Edward in mock despair.
"You're a fine one to talk." said Kim. "The two of you are as bad as each other."
"Not possible." said Daniel with a straight face.
"Certainly not." agreed Edward, trying to hide a smile.
"You see?" said Kim to Michael. "They're even agreeing with each other."
"Must be something in the coffee." said Edward.
Unable to help himself Daniel just laughed. It felt good to be alive and relaxing among friends. Dying made him realise just how precious moments like this were; it was time he started making the most of them. Around him the others joined in the laughter, glad they were all here to enjoy it. That was how they stayed for the rest of the morning, enjoying each others company and swapping tales, relaxing before rejoining the battle.