"All right everybody." said Daniel silencing the discussion in the room. "We've been called in to assist the CDC with an outbreak of a new type of Scarlet Fever in North Carolina. They've managed to contain the spread of the disease but they've no idea how it started. Our job is to find the cause and eradicate it, if necessary." Daniel looked at the people gathered around the room. "Get what you need and meet me at the van in ten minutes."

When they got there, Daniel, Kim and Brian set up shop in an underground laborartory with about twenty of the CDC's people, while Michael and Edward unloaded their gear from the van. While on a return trip to the van, Michael noticed someone acting suspiciously in the access tunnel. Motioning Edward to silence, they followed the man to a store room. They hid behind some crates and waited while the man entered the room. He stayed for a few minutes then left. Michael decided to investigate the room rather than follow the man. It was virtually bare except for a few small crates scattered around. While Michael searched near the door, Edward searched at the far side of the room. He found something.
"Michael, I think you better take a look at this." he said urgently.
Michael went quickly over to where Edward was kneeling by a crate. "What have you got?" he asked.
Up against the wall where Edward had uncovered it was an object the size of a shoe box. It was a bomb. Michael carefully took the cover off exposing the timer. It read three seconds. "Run!" he yelled, dragging Edward to his feet. Both men sprinted for the door just as the bomb went off.

Daniel looked up from his microscope, certain that he'd heard the distant sound of an explosion. No-one else appeared to have though, so he went back to his work. A few seconds later it happened again, this time closer. They all heard it this time. Everyone looked at each other as the dull boom of explosions began to echo around the lab. Then there was a momentary silence followed by a deafening roar as the entire building collapsed above them. People ran screaming in all directions as the roof started to cave-in. Daniel was the first casualty as a falling beam caught him across the side of the head, dropping him like a stone. Brian and Kim rushed to his aid but were caught in a shower of falling rubble. For several long minutes the devastation went on. When it was finally over silence descended on the lab, broken only by the occasional falling rock. Gradually however, the moans of the injured and dying became audible.

Brian stirred and came to. He ached all over from the fallen masonry and there was blood on his pants leg. When he moved to investigate, a sharp stabbing pain went through his chest. He'd obviously broken some ribs too. As carefully as he could he examined his leg. There was a deep cut on his thigh, but it was more messy than dangerous. A moan from nearby caught his attention. It was Kim. Clutching his ribs, he managed to crawl over to her. "Kim? Kim, can you hear me?" he asked.
"What happened?" asked Kim groggily.
"I think the building fell in on us." said Brian. "Are you hurt?"
"My ankle. I don't know if it's broken." she replied.
Brian gently felt around her ankle. "I think it's only sprained." he said.
"What about you?" Kim asked.
"Some broken ribs, a cut on my leg. That's all." he said. "We'd better find Daniel. He took quite a crack on the head from that beam."
"You find Daniel. I'll see if I can find a first aid box." said Kim. She levered herself to her feet and limped painfully across the lab, stopping every now and then to check on a survivor. Brian meanwhile headed in the direction he last remembered Daniel being in. He found him about halfway across the lab, under the worst of the cave-in. They were going to have to dig him out. Brian felt for and found a pulse, but it was thready and weak. There was blood all over the side of Daniel's head and Brian was sure the skull was fractured. He was going to need proper medical treatment and soon, if he was going to survive.

Above ground, the emergency services were mobilizing. Fire engines and ambulances rushed to the scene. They were horrified by what they saw. The entire complex had been destroyed, levelled almost by the force of multiple explosions. They held out very little hope of finding survivors. Volunteers were drafted in from all over to start the grisly task of clearing the wreckage. Rescue dogs were used to try and locate survivors as well as the latest scanning equipment. News crews from all over the world started to appear and report on the tragedy. So far no-one claimed responsibility.

Down in the lab, Brian and Kim were tending the wounded. Out of twenty scientists and doctors, five had been killed outright and seven were dying. The rest had a variety of wounds from broken bones to cuts and scrapes. Only two were completely unhurt. The most able-bodied of the survivors were busy digging out the others and as each one was freed, one of the doctors tended their wounds. Daniel had been among the first to be dug out. As well as the skull fracture he had several broken bones including a nasty compound fracture in his lower leg. Brian did the best he could, but he was worried about the head wound. It didn't look good.

Day became night and still the resuers pushed on. They were beginning to feel a sense of urgency. The death toll was up to fifty and still no survivors had been found. They erected powerful arc lights to light up the area so they could continue to work. Towards midnight someone finally came up with the buildings plans, showing the underground facility. Hope rose at the thought that down there at least, someone might still be alive.

Edward came awake slowly. There was a crushing weight on his chest and he was finding it difficult to breathe. He opened his eyes and looked around blearily. Emergency lighting provided fitful illumination, just enough to allow him to see. He was lying near the door where he'd been thrown when he and Michael had been caught by the explosion. The entire wall on his side of the room had collapsed and a large part of it was now lying across him, effectively pinning him to the floor. The only parts of him not under the rubble were his shoulders, arms and head. A large beam was lying across his chest and the only thing stopping it from crushing him was a lump of rock, wedged up tight against his side. He was in a great deal of discomfort and pain but there was nothing he could do to relieve it. He was completely immobilized from the chest down. He started looking around for Michael and saw him lying four feet away. He was very still and Edward feared he was dead. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Michael's chest move. Michael appeared to be breathing very shallowly and his arm lay at an awkward angle, obviously broken. From this distance and in this light, Edward couldn't tell if Michael was injured in any other way.
"Michael, can you hear me?" asked Edward. Michael stirred at the sound of his voice, then went still again. Edward sighed in frustration and tried to make himself relax. He felt certain that help would come, but knew it might be a long time getting to them.

In a room adjacent to the one where Edward and Michael lay, a large number of cannisters lay where the explosion that had ripped out the wall had hurled them. Most of them had been ruptured by the blast and a greenish substance was oozing out of  them onto the floor. It spread forming a pool which began to move toward where the wall had once been, toward the two men lying helpless in the next room.

Brian sat with his back to a wall drinking coffee. He was feeling worn out and his leg and chest were throbbing. The badly wounded were stretched out across the other side of the room while everyone else sat either singly or in small groups wherever they could find a space. The light was dim which had made it hard to treat people and the temperature was rising. There was just enough ventilation to keep the air circulating but not enough to keep it cool. All attempts to find a way out had failed - the corridors were all blocked and the ventilation shafts were too narrow. All communications were out too. The few cell phones that were being carried were all damaged in the cave-in. Despair was beginning to settle into the group. No-one really believed they had any chance of rescue. Brian tended to agree, but Kim was adament that someone would come. She was convinced that Michael and Edward had escaped the blast, that they would somehow organise a rescue. Brian hoped she was right, but he had a feeling that such was not the case.

The rescuers cleared away the rubble as fast as they could, searching for the access tunnel which led to the lab.  In the early hours of the morning they found it. Hope quickly turned to despair though when they realised that the tunnel had collapsed over most of its length. They started the long, arduous task of digging it out.

Kim looked over the dwindling medical supplies. They were running out of everything fast, even after improvising with the equipment in the lab. At least they still had water and electricity. It wasn't worth thinking about what would happen if those failed. She looked across the room at Brian. He was looking awfully pale and she hoped he wasn't going into delayed shock. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed him right now. He was solid and practical and he'd helped to establish calm when tempers had started fraying earlier. She went over and sat down beside him. "How are you feeling?" she asked him.
"What? Oh." he said, startled out of a half doze. "I'm fine. Could use a little brandy in my coffee." he said looking into his empty cup.
Kim smiled. "I'm afraid I left the bottle in the van." she said and added, "I could make you some more coffee if you want."
Brian looked up at her. "No, that's alright. You shouldn't walk around on that ankle too much."
"You're right I guess." said Kim. "I just don't like sitting around doing nothing. It's so frustrating."
"That's why I took up composing. It's a useful way to fill in the gaps. Before I met up with you guys, I frequently had a lot of time on my hands. Now I don't seem to have any." said Brian.
"Join the club." said Kim "As soon as I sit down to do my kites, something else comes up. I could use a holiday."
"Somewhere far away from a phone." said Brian with a smile. "A desert island somewhere with lots of sea and surf, endless sunshine and no-one to tell you what to do."
Kim laughed. "Daniel would find you wherever you went." she said. "I don't think there's anywhere on this planet he couldn't find you."
"He is persistent isn't he?" said Brian. "There must be somewhere." He proceeded into a long list of possible places he could go, making Kim laugh and getting her mind off their troubles. It helped him to forget for a while too.

Michael stirred and moaned, coming awake gradually. He felt like he'd been run over by a bus.  Everything ached and his head spun making him feel sick. He glanced around the rubble strewn floor and spotted Edward a few feeet away. Careful of his broken arm Michael started to crawl in Edward's direction. It was exhausting and painful and he almost passed out again before he got there. Edward was extremely pale and covered in blood from a multitude of cuts and abrasions. He  supposed he didn't look much better himself. He checked Edward's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it. Knowing there was nothing he could do for Edward, he began looking around for a way of escape. The doorway seemed clear so he made his way slowly in that direction. Once he looked out the door he realised that that was no longer an option. The corridor was completely blocked about twenty feet from where he stood. He turned back into the room and spotted the cannisters. A chill went down his back as he saw the widening pool of greenish coloured liquid. He edged closer trying to look for some clue as to what they contained. None of the cannisters had any kind of writing on them but they all carried the hazardous material sign. He looked from the edge of the pool to where Edward was lying. The ooze had a clear run all the way to him. Michael cast around for something to block the ooze. There was lots of rubble around but most of it was in big chunks, too big  for him to move in his present condition.

A moan from Edward sent him back in that direction. He knelt by Edward's side just as he came to. "Edward, can you hear me?" asked Michael.
"I hear you." Edward replied groggily. "How are you?"
"I've had better days." said Michael evasively. "We've got a problem. There's some sort of hazardous material leaking down here and it's headed in this direction. Can you move at all?"
Edward tried shifting his position and was rewarded with a stabbing pain in his back. He paused and tried again, but it was no use. "It's no good." he said. "I'm stuck fast. Other than my arms I can't move at all."
Michael frowned in concern. "Can you feel anything below your chest?" he asked.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. I can feel everything. I just can't move."  he said. "What sort of hazardous material is it?" he asked, changing the subject.
"I can't tell." said Michael. "There's no writing on any of the cannisters. Look, I'll try and dig you out. Then we can see about lifting this beam."
"Michael." said Edward putting a restraining hand on his friend. "You're in no condition. If you make yourself ill you're going to be no use to me."
"We have no choice. It's only a matter of time before that ooze gets here. If I can get you out, then we at least stand some chance." Some chance of what though, Michael didn't care to say. He moved towards Edwards legs but had to stop as a wave of nausea washed over him.
"Michael?" asked Edward seeing the look that came over his friend.
"It's nothing, don't worry." said Michael. He was developing a nasty headache and spots floated before his eyes. Edward drifted in and out of focus. Michael shook his head trying to clear his vision, but this only made it worse. Before he quite realised what was happening he found himself lying on the floor. Moments later he was out cold.

 On the surface things weren't going well. Equipment was mysteriously breaking down and disappearing, several fires had broken out for no apparent reason  and conflicting orders had been passed around the rescuers causing chaos and confusion. Frank Williams, who was heading the rescue, sighed in frustration. They were now into the second day of the operation and the death toll was up to one hundred. They had been making good progress on the access tunnel until the early hours of this morning, when everything had started going wrong. He was beginning to feel jinxed. He rubbed a hand across tired eyes and accepted a cup of coffee from an aide. He needed it. He'd been awake for twenty four hours straight and his energy was beginning to flag. At that moment one of his men came up to him with an apologetic expression on his face.
"Um, boss." said the man.
Williams sighed. "What's gone wrong this time?" he asked.
"One of the JCB's is missing." said the man, whose name was Addison.
"What?!" yelled Williams. "How could something that big go missing?"
Addison wished he could sink into the ground. "Dunno, boss. It was there last night, now it's not." he said.
"This is ALL I need. Who's in charge of the cops down here?" he asked.
"Guy named Briggs. He's over there." said Addison indicating an area to their left. Williams stalked off muttering dire imprecations.

"Briggs!" said Williams coming up to a well-built man in a light blue suit. "We need to talk."
"What's the problem Mr. Williams?" Briggs answered with a deceptively mild voice.
"The problem is that my equipment keeps disappearing." said Williams. "Someone walked off with a damned great JCB last night. We need more security on this site."
"You have all the people I can spare." said Briggs. "They're doing the best they can in a very difficult situation."
"Well then call in the national guard if you have to. How am I supposed to conduct a rescue without any equipment?" asked Williams in an aggrieved tone of voice.
"I can't promise anything, but I'll see what I can do." said Briggs. The mysterious disappearances had him puzzled. Why would anyone want to sabotage a rescue. What was there that someone didn't want found?

Later that morning one of the scanning teams picked up life signs. The signal was faint, but it was close to end of the access tunnel. It was the first good news anyone had had. Everyone redoubled their efforts to clear the rubble. By late afternoon they managed to get a microphone down into the storeroom.

Edward came around to a disembodied voice saying, "Can anyone hear me?". He tried to speak but his mouth was dry. He desperately needed water. It took him several moments to work up enough moisture to speak. "I hear you." he said weakly. "Where are you?"
"I'm on the surface. I'm talking to you through a microphone." said the voice. "What's your condition?"
"I'm trapped under a rockfall and there's a large beam across my chest. I'm also bleeding from a wound on my back. Other than that it's difficult to say."  replied Edward. He was feeling exhausted and weak and it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. What he didn't know was that the rock holding up the beam was slowly crumbling under the weight and the beam was beginning to push down on him. "My friend is unconscious with a broken arm and concussion. I can't tell what else but I suspect some kind of internal injury." Edward broke off as a fit of coughing took him. When he took his arm away there was fresh blood on the sleeve. It was a bad sign.

On the surface the paramedic who'd been talking to Edward turned to his companion. "He doesn't sound too good. We have to consider the possibility that the beam has damaged his chest cavity. Possibly punctured a lung."  he said. Just then Edward's voice came back over the mic.
"We need a HazMat team down here. There's some kind of hazardous material leaking all over the place. I think it's heading right toward us." As soon as he finished talking he started coughing again. It was several minutes before he could stop. His chest felt as though it was on fire and his head was spinning.
The paramedic swore. He sent his companion off at a run to make the necessary arrangements, then spoke into the mic. "Try not to talk. We'll have a team down there as fast as we can." Which judging by the way things had been going, was not going to be fast at all.

Daniel's condition deteriorated steadily over the course of the two days. He was extremely pale, his breathing was shallow and uneven and his heartbeat erratic. Kim gently put his arm down after testing his pulse. If they weren't rescued soon, she knew he would be beyond saving.  She rose and went to make some coffee for herself and Brian.

"Here." said Kim. "I've brought you some more coffee." She handed a steaming cup to Brian.
"Thanks." he said absently. Kim was worried about him. Since things had quietened down he seemed to be sliding into a state of shock. He'd gone very pale and there was a slight tremble to his hands. His eyes were glazing over too.
"How are you feeling?" she asked him gently.
"Not too good. My head is spinning and I feel cold." he said. "I'm going into shock, aren't I?"
"It looks that way." said Kim. "I'll see if I can find you some lab coats. Try and stay as warm as possible." She squeezed his shoulder before rising and going off in search of something to keep him warm. As much as she tried to deny it, she was beginning to feel desperate.  She was losing friends one by one and it frightened her. She tried to tell herself that Michael and Edward were safe, but she knew intuitively that they were in danger. On her way across the lab she passed by the wounded. She looked at Daniel in passing and wished that he was all right. He could be a pain in the backside but she could use his wry humour right about now. She finally found what she wanted at the far side of lab. Several lab coats had been overlooked when the lab had been raided for linen for bandages. She took these and headed back over to Brian, wrapping them around him to try and ease the shock. When she was done, she went and checked on how the others were doing.

"Boss! Boss!" Addison called as he hurried over to the command centre for the rescue.
"What is it?" asked Williams, anticipating more bad news.
"One of the teams has broken through to the room where the two men are trapped." Addison said excitedly.
"That's wonderful! Come on, lets get over there." Williams left at a run. He arrived just as the first of the HazMat team went down through an opening that led to the corridor outside the storeroom. They cleared away the ooze from where it had almost reached Edward and Michael so that the paramedics could get at them. They got Michael out right away and rushed to the nearest hospital where he underwent immediate surgery. Edward proved to be more of a problem however. The rescuers propped the beam up as best they could in the limited space that they had and then started to remove the rubble covering his body.  The pressure from the rockfall had restricted  the blood flow deadening the feeling in his body but as soon as the pressure was released the feeling returned. He screamed as agony hit him and thrashed against the support holding up the beam, almost collapsing it. The rescuers had to rush to prop it up as it creaked alarmingly. Edward started to cough violently, bringing up blood. Afraid they were going to lose him, the teams redoubled their efforts to free him. Eventually it was done, and not before time. The internal bleeding had been slowed to a minimum by the pressure of the rubble and now that it had been removed, he was haemorraging.

Edward was rushed to the hospital and straight into emergency surgery. They spent five hours working to save him. The explosion had caused a great deal of internal injury including a collapsed lung and the surgeons had little hope of saving him. Finally he was placed in intensive care alonside Michael. Both were in critical condition.

While the work was going on in the storeroom, one of the other teams found the lab. Work began immediately to excavate a way down to it. But there were problems. Equipment began to fail or went missing, team members disappeared and a major fire started nearby. The police were stretched to their limit trying to secure the sight and find the perpetrators. They were finally rewarded when one of the saboteurs amde a mistake. One of the operators of the scanning equipment was returning to his truck when  he noticed a man trying to break into it. "Hey!" he shouted. "What do you think you're doing?". The man took one look at the irate operator, whose name was Brad Jones, and ran for it. Jones gave chase. He caught the man within a hundred yards and brought him down with a tackle.  The man was surprisingly strong for his size and it was all Jones could do to hold him. Police came running from allover to see what the cause of the commotion was. "I caught him trying to break into my truck." said Jones.
"Right. We'll take it from here." said a burly officer, hauling the offender to his feet. They handcuffed him and frog-marched him off to a waiting police car.

Daniel was fading fast.Kim sighed as frustration welled within her. She was a doctor, she was supposed to help people and yet there was nothing she could do. Everything that could be done had been done and all they could do now was wait. She sighed again and went over to Brian. He was through the worst of the shock, but he had withdrawn into himself. She'd tried to draw him out several times, but had failed. Just as she was about to speak to him she heard a sound over by the door to the lab. She couldn't at first make it out but it gradually became clear. It was the sound of rubble being exzcavated.  A group of people gathered as the sounds grew louder and louder. There was a fall of rock from the roof and then daylight. A hole had been cleared! A ragged cheer went up from the survivors and people hugged each other, joy and hope written on all their faces. The hole gradually widened and the first of the paramedics came down.

It was 8pm in the evening. Kim was sitting drinking a much needed cup of coffee in a waiting area. She was waiting to hear about Daniel who was currently in surgery. She'd been to see Michael and Edward and had checked in on Brian, who was being kept in overnight. Now she waited on word about Daniel. She felt tired, exhausted from her ordeal. The latest word from the disaster site was that the death toll was up to two hundred. As yet there was still no word on who claimed responsibility. The man captured by Brad Jones would only say that he had been payed by an unknown source to commit the sabotage. If he had the name of his source he wasn't giving it. The police found out that he was called Jack Brent and he had a quite a rap sheet. Everything from arms dealing to demolition. He was wanted in seven states for a variety of crimes including arson and bank robbery. He was on the FBI's most wanted list and now he had been caught. Kim hoped he paid for what he had done. Three of her friends lives were on the line because of him and there was not much  hope for any of them. She had to grit her teeth to stop from crying. While she struggled desperately with her emotions, one of the surgeons came up to her.
"Dr. Shiroma?"  he asked quietly.
Kim looked up. "Yes, that's me." she said.
"I'm Mr. Higgins. " the surgeon said. "I performed the surgery on Daniel Cassian."
"How is he?" asked Kim, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Not good, I'm afraid. The fracture caused swelling which has damaged an area of his brain. We can't tell at the moment what that damage will be. It may be slight or it may not. Only time will tell." Higgins said somewhat apologetically. He knew what she'd been through and had seen her on the verge of tears when he walked up. He wished he could have given her better news. "I've placed him in intensive care along with your other two friends. Why don't you go home and get some rest. We'll let you know if there is any change in their condition."
"Thank you." said Kim. "I guess maybe I'll do that."

Edward dreamed. He found himself lying on a table in a large white room. Next to him Michael and Daniel also lay on tables. They were both very still.. Off to their right was a wide staircase that seemed to go up into infinity. Down it came a tall man wearing a white robe with a hood thrown back onto his shoulders. He had grey hair and a very distinguished face, that exuded calmness and serenity. He reached the bottom of the staircase and walked over to Daniel. Reaching up, he touched Daniel on the forehead and a white glow spread out from his fingers. The glow surrounded Daniel's head for a few minutes before spreading down the rest of his body. A moment later it was gone. The man moved on to Michael and repeated his actions. A white glow enveloped Micahel for a few moments, then faded. Now it was Edward's turn. The man came over and looked down at him. "It is not time yet for you to leave this existence. Your work here is not yet complete." he said, his voice soft and gentle. A deep sence of calm settled into Edward as the man touched his forehead. Warmth spread from the man's fingertips into Edward, spreading down his body. He felt peaceful, rested for the first time in days.
"Who are you?" Edward asked the man.
The man removed his fingers from Edward's forehead and his eyes became distant for a moment. "My name is John and I am your guardian." he said after a few seconds.
"All of us or just me?" asked Edward.
John smiled. "Just you. It was necessary to heal them as well for they are linked to you and you could not complete your work without them."
Edward digested this for a moment. "What can you tell me about the mysterious person who paid my way through school?" he asked.
"A way was found to provide you with the knowledge that you needed for this life. More than that I am not permitted to say." answered John. "Now, you must return to your world. Too long in this place and you would be unable to go back." He held up his hand, palm facing Edward who immediately felt an unresistable urge to sleep. Before he could utter another word a glow spread around John, enveloping him. The last thing Edward saw was John surrounded by light with both palms now facing upward and a look of such peace on his face as he turned to look at something above him. The light intensified and John was gone. Darkness descended on the room and Edward passed into a deep sleep.

Kim awoke startled, from a dream. She had been in a large room watching an angel heal the three men in intensive care. The angel had seemed to pause while next to Edward, almost as if they were talking. She couldn't hear anything nor could she move to investigate. A deep calm had taken her over. She knew that they were going to be alright, but now that she was awake that made no sense. Edward was dying and Michael was critical, wavering between life and death. Daniel would live but would be brain-damaged. How could they be alright? Still, that calmness and peace ran through her and wouldn't let go. She just knew that it would all work out. She closed her eyes and let the peace wash over her. Soon she was in a deep and dreamless sleep.

The next morning Kim was woken by a call from the hospital. "Dr. Shiroma? I think you'd better come to the hospital." . It was one of the junior doctors.
"Why? What's happened?" asked Kim, her heart pounding in her chest.
"I think you'd better see for yourself." said the doctor.
Fearing the worist Kim sped towards the hospital, praying she wouldn't get stopped for speeding. She screeched into the car park and raced for ICU. When she got there she found Mr. Higgins and two other doctors gathered around Daniel's bed. Miraculouly Daniel was awake. "Kim, would you tell these people there's no need to make such a fuss." He had a pained expression on his face as he looked at the other doctors.
Kim burst out laughing.  When he gave her a dark look she just laughed all the more. Higgins frowned at her. "I'm sorry." she said when she finally regained some control. "It's just a relief to see you looking so well after..." she broke off not knowing how much he knew about what went on.
"It's alright Kim. They've told me what happened. I can assure all of you that I am perfectly fine." said Daniel, directing his last comment to the three men.
"You may think so, Dr. Cassian, but I've never seen anyone recover this quickly from such a head wound. We will be keeping you under close observation until we are convinced there is no lasting damage." Higgins said reprovingly.
Daniel sighed in resignation. "Well , I guess I could do with a break anyway." He looked at Higgins with a slight smile on his face.
"Mm." said Higgins thoughtfully. "Just make sure you don't get any ideas about getting up." Then he turned to Kim. "The conditions of  Dr. Marcase and Mr. Hailey have also improved. Mr. Hailey is now off the critical list and Dr. Marcase has stabilised. I believe he now has a very strong chance of survivng his injuries. I am at a loss to explain it. I have never in all my life seen anything like this. It's amazing."
"It's a miracle." said one of the other doctors. He looked apologetically at  Higgins and shrugged his shoulders.
"Yes. Well.." said Higgins and left the room. Kim exchanged looks with the other two doctors, before they too left. Then she looked at Daniel.
"Are you sure you're alright? That skull fracture was pretty nasty." she asked him.
He tilted his head slightly as he looked at Kim. "I'm fine, really. I don't know how to explain it any more than you, but I've never felt better in my life. Now," he said, "can you tell me what happened?"
Kim told him everything she knew and speculated about things she didn't. While she was talking, she kept looking at Edward and thinking about her dream. When she finished she turned to Daniel and said, "You know, it really is a miracle that you three are alive and well. Last night Edward was dying and now he's going to live. You were brain damaged and now you're not. How do you go about explaining something like this?"
"You don't." said Daniel. "There are some things in life that you just have to accept without explanation."
Kim was surprised. This was new coming from Daniel. "I thought you had an answer for everything." she said.
"I do. But in the cases where there is no scientific answer, I prefer to keep it to myself." replied Daniel, with a self-satisfied look on his face.
Kim was speechless. This was not what she had expected at all. She looked askance at him, shook her head and said, "I think you need to get some rest. You've had quite an ordeal."
Daniel laughed. "Okay, doctor. I will try and do as you say."
Kim shook her head again and took her leave.

Henrikson sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers. "What have you to report?" he asked.
"The virus has been contained and there are no new cases." said Kinross, nervously twisting a ring on his right hand.
"What about the bio-crisis team?" demanded Henrikson. "Were they eliminated?"
Kinross paused and then spoke hesitantly. "No. No they weren't. Despite our best efforts the rescue teams got to them and pulled them out.  The guy we hired to sabotage the rescue got caught. So far he has told the police nothing."
"Eliminate him. I don't want word of this to come out." said Henrikson. "The public must not know about us."
"It'll be done within the hour." said Kinross and made as if to leave.
"Kinross." said Henrikson in an ominously quiet voice. "This blunder will go on you record. The bio-crisis team should have been dealt with.  They are a thorn in the side of this organisation and must be removed. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes." said Kinross in a small voice. He turned and left, a barrage of thought running through his mind. They had released the new Scarlet Fever virus as a ruse to get the bio-crisis team together in one place. Then they had destroyed the building. The fact that there had been biological waste on the site was a pure bonus. The team should all have been killed but somehow they had ALL managed to survive. Kinross began to wonder if there was such a thing as Divine Intervention. Whatever happened to the team they always managed to come out of it. He would just have to think of something else. Something more direct.