The brothers, Alex, and Grange arrived at the townhouse that Grange had arranged. As they stepped through the front door, a wave of antiseptic and medicinal scents filled their noses.
A hospital bed, crinkling with clean linens, waited in the center of the master bedroom. Counters outfitted with medical supplies ran along two walls. Gabe laid Alex on her back on the hospital bed. Her breaths were shallow as she groaned in pain at the slightest movement. She rolled to her side, taking pressure off the painful burn. Grange pushed a large red button on the wall before motioning sharply for the brothers to follow him.
Grange ushered them into a second bedroom with a large sectional couch and a soft beige carpet which covered the entire floor. He pointed at the electronic panel on one wall. "You can avoid any unwanted visitors by entering the codes on this security pad," he said, pressing each button with emphasis. "Once you do that, the nurse attending Alex will leave her alone for an hour, starting from your entrance. She will enter if any of the medical alarms on Alex go off so get out quick if that happens. I've called in Dr. Marshall to attend to Alex's medical needs when needed. He likes his private practice but I'm still trying to recruit him."
"How do we know she'll be safe? How do we know you won't ship her off to a laboratory at your first chance? Or kill her?" Gabe fired his anger at his first target.
Grange regarded him with his usual calmness, expression blank except for shrewd eyes. "It would be stupidity to kill her."
"Brockner didn't think so," Gabe shot back.
"Brockner experienced sour grapes. Plus, he was afraid that she would nail him. Unfortunately, he escaped."
Gabe jabbed a claw into Grange's chest. "Good job."
"You could have killed him. A nice execution by sword," Grange said evenly as he brushed off Gabe's claw. "In any case, my people are more interested in the practical aspects of AL-10. We want her alive, healthy, and on the outside working for us. Let the R&D boys tear their hair out, they answer to us. You might find it interesting to hear that the project has failed several times already. Most subjects became insane, but two people fried their nervous systems the first time they activated their powers. This project is completely shut down now; there will be no more attempts."
"That's a relief." Rile's sarcasm bounced off Grange, who lifted an eyebrow at him.
Cale, clacking his claws, asked, "What about the slipstream generator? Flying is a wonderful ability."
"Having a nuclear power source in one's chest isn't good for one's health," Grange said. "What will happen first? Leukemia or lymphoma from the lymphatic system being exposed to radiation? One of the many types of lung cancer? Thoracic aneurysm as the aorta calcifies from the radiation? Best case scenario is massive heart attack at a relatively young age because the heart's blood vessels have hardened. The agents who sign up aren't expecting longevity. The public will be even less interested. Not that the FDA would ever approve it."
"You murdered Alex by inserting that slipstream generator." Rile's fists clenched as he stepped forward, anger and anguish darkening his features. "The slow, long kind."
"She volunteered." Grange edged away from him, one hand slipping to the gun holstered at his hip. "She knew all the risks in exquisite detail."
"Stand down, Rile," Gabe ordered.
He nodded to Cale, who quickly interposed himself between Grange and Rile. He faced his younger brother with an air of restrained authority.
Grange's hand stayed on the gun at his hip as he continued, "The kitchen is stocked with food and the other two bedrooms have been prepared. One is for the nurse, one is for my agents, and one is yours. Two of my agents will be around somewhere at all times, but they'll leave you alone. Everything copacetic?"
"Yeah, yeah, too much so." Rile flung open the door and headed to the kitchen. "Let's see what food you stored. If you didn't stock pralines, make it so."
Cale dove towards the door, desperate to keep it from slamming against the wall. Grange took a deep breath, his hand hovering near his firearm as he quickly tapped in the code on the security panel.
"Remember to enter the code!" Grange yelled after Rile. Rolling his eyes, Grange asked Cale, "Star Trek reference? Really?"
Cale clicked his claws together softly, sadness etching its way through his voice. "Alex taught us to love it."
Grange sighed and pulled out a cigarette. "I'm going outside for a smoke. You okay here?"
Gabe pushed past him, and Grange quickly tapped the security panel. "Remember the code!" he called after Gabe. Grange turned back to Cale with a frown. "Do your brothers ever listen to anything?"
"That's my job," Cale replied solemnly. "And my job to remind them."
Shaking his head, Grange left, twirling a cigarette between his fingers.
Gabe's heart sank at the sight of Alex lying in the hospital bed, her face as pale as a sheet. The machines surrounding the bed beeped in a steady rhythm while his own raced frantically. He spotted an extra pillow on the equipment counter and carefully brought it to Alex's side. With gentle fingers, Gabe tucked it under her right hand, hoping it would bring her comfort during her sleep. As he sat on the chair next to the bed, watching the rise and fall of her chest and wishing time away, Gabe realized that he only had an hour before the nurse would return. An hour to wait, watch, and regret.
***
A/N
Dedicated to
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