Decrease

Monday - September 20

"Do you have them?" she asks the person she's calling.

"When will you have them?" she asks.

"Make sure you have them at the specified time and location. Do you understand? Or you'll be accountable for it, not me. Is that understood?" warns Julie.

"Wait for my call," she says, and then disconnects.

Julie checks Victor over one more time before he's taken to imaging. She looks at her watch and sees it is nearly three o'clock. "Damn," she mutters. She needs to make one more call before heading to lab six.

When she starts to dial, the door opens. She turns around demanding, "What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be down in the lab getting ready?"

Not hearing a response, Julie says, "What's wrong with you? Didn't you hear me? What..."

The intruder stares at Julie, as a red spot begins to grow upon her chest. Julie looks down at her bosom and realizes what's happened.

"Now?" she asks, as blood continues to pour profusely from the gunshot wound that the intruder inflicted upon her.

"Time's running out," the intruder replies.

Julie begins to stumble to the floor as she continues to hold pressure to her wound. Slowly, she lays down like a child ready to be tucked into bed safely by a loved one. Instead, she curls up like a fetus, exhaling her last breath, whispering, "De..." She shuts her eyes and sleeps.

The intruder puts the gun back into their holster and goes to Dr. Parks. Removing a small case from the inside pocket of their jacket, the intruder opens it, and pulls out a syringe filled with potassium. Carefully, the syringe is injected into Victor's arm until it is empty. When the syringe is removed from Victor, his body makes a sudden jolt. He gasps for air, and then releases his last breath. The intruder replaces the case back into their pocket, and says, "And you, Victor, well... you'll know later on."

The intruder scuffs their shoes across the floor and walks out of room forty-seven, leaving Dr. Parks and Dr. Nguyen behind for someone else to discover their lifeless bodies.

__________________________________

Seven hours have passed since Stevens left the Plaza with Georgia, Dr. Parks, Julie, and President Mansoor. Gerald's been lying on the floor ever since Victor injected him with sodium thiopental. As he begins to stir, Gerald tries to look at his watch to determine the time. Groggy, he pulls himself up by using the water cooler. When he becomes steady, he belches, and then vomits. After a few minutes of discomfort, he grabs a cup of cold water from the cooler, rinses his mouth out, then spits into the garbage can. He wipes his sleeve across his moist mouth and takes in some deep breathes to freshen his head. Feeling a little better, Gerald stands erect and realizes that he was to have made a phone call over four hours ago. He throws the cup of water to the floor, and then dashes down the hallway to his office.

Once in his office, Gerald rushes to his desk to use the phone. But before dialing, he notices a white envelope resting against the computer. Gerald puts the phone down, picks up the envelope, and rips it open. As he reads the content, he collapses into his chair and begins to sob. After a few minutes, he takes the envelope and its contents, ignites them, and throws them into the trash can. As Gerald watches the paper burn, he realizes that everything he tried to accomplish is now ruined. He hangs his head down, and softly prays, "God, forgive me." After contemplating what he should do, Gerald picks up the phone, dials a number, and listens to the voice on the other end.

"It's done," the voice says.

Gerald is silent for a few moments, and then quietly says, "I understand." He hangs up the phone, sits silently in his chair, and realizes that it's over. Gerald opens his middle desk drawer and retrieves the .22. He again asks God for forgiveness, and then in an instant, Gerald exists no more.