Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

Unsung Heroes: Mission Two	By : RavenLadies Category: +G through L > G.I. Joe Views: 1326 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the cartoon(s) that this fanfiction is written for, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Chapter Three

Lifeline had pulled the chair up next to Billy’s bedside, the medic aching to reach out and take his lover’s hand. In the outer observation area, Lieutenant Sorenson and an orderly had taken up residence at the desk located there. Various built in monitors were now lit, displaying the Marine’s vitals which were being transmitted via the monitors located at the unconscious man’s bedside.

Edwin had called for help from the infirmary, the blonde nurse rushing to her superior officer’s location within minutes with an orderly and the items the medic had requested in tow. Billy was now hooked up to an I.V., a slow morphine drip, the insertion of which had gone relatively smooth in light of what had happened with the catheter. Standing beside Edwin, Rebecca frowned thoughtfully at the now slumbering man. "You're...absolutely certain about what you saw?" she murmured quietly. The medic nodded his head, his gaze still fixed on Billy. Rebecca sighed softly and shook her head. "Has he...figured anything out yet?"

“I – I don’t know,” Lifeline replied. “He...he did ask me if you thought he was infected with the T-Virus,” he added, glancing up at Rebecca.

"What did you tell him?"

“What do you think I told him?” The medic uncharacteristically snapped back, instantly regretting it as soon as the words left his mouth. Closing his eyes, Edwin took a deep breath. “I’m sorry...”

Rebecca didn't so much as flinch at the outburst. "Don't be sorry...Lifeline, I'm as worried about him as you are. I understand..." she said softly, stepping up to Billy's bedside and reaching to brush Billy's hair back from his face.

Lifeline reached up and removed his glasses before rubbing his other hand over his face. “I told him that you didn’t think he was -- infected, I mean.” The medic’s slightly fuzzy gaze went back to Billy’s prone form.

"Good. Because he's not...although I don't know how we're going to explain to him just what he does have."

Edwin fell silent for a few moments before he spoke again. “I’m going to have someone here around the clock to monitor him.”

Rebecca nodded her agreement. "Good call."

“So what do we do now?” The medic asked; his chocolate brown eyes coming up to settled on the young woman standing next to him.

"Wait until he's had a chance to rest; and in the meantime, try to see if we can't hunt down any information at all as to the rest of Billy's medical records. This isn't a typical infection. Which means this was something that was done to him deliberately."

“I never did get a chance to ask him about the institution.” Edwin was quiet a moment before he resettled his glasses. “The ultrasound should be here tomorrow, too.”

"All right. We'll forget about quizzing him again on the institution, then, and worry about trying to get out information a different way." Rebecca turned from Billy's bedside. "And on that note, I think I'm going to go try and get some rest. You should try to do the same. Neither of us will be much good to him if we can't think straight."

The medic nodded his head, but made no attempt to rise from his seat.

Rebecca said nothing more, giving Edwin a gentle pat on the shoulder before heading out of the room.

# # #

Unlocking the door to his condominium, Edwin pushed it open and stepped inside, his hand going to the wall next to the door. After a few seconds, his questing fingers found the light switch and he flicked it on, the living room instantly filling with a soft glow. Closing the door, his eyes caught sight of Billy’s cowboy hat hanging on its hook on the wall. The medic felt something well up in his chest as he reached out towards it, his fingers trailing over the black brim as he recalled the first time that he had seen the Marine wearing it. After several minutes, Lifeline’s hand slipped away and he squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself not to break down and cry – a feeling he had been beating back since the incident in Billy’s room with the catheter. Opening his eyes, his gaze lingered on the hat for a few moments before he turned away and headed towards the bedroom.

The medic had sat with Billy until sometime after midnight and had only left his bedside at the urging of the nurse who had come to replace Lieutenant Sorenson. Instead of staying on base, Edwin had felt a need to get away from headquarters and so he had driven home. He had not been home since his return to the base, staying in his small room in the officer’s barracks after Billy’s collapse.

As Edwin passed into the bedroom, other little odds and ends that spoke of the Marine's presence jumped out at him. A forgotten magazine here, a spare lighter there -- things that Billy would never have left lying about when they had first met. They were tiny, telltale signs that the condo was beginning to feel like home to the man who had been on the run for so long.

As the medic passed by one of the end tables, he noticed that the answering machine was blinking, the LED screen showing that a number of calls had been received in his absence. Without pausing, he passed it by, preferring to leave them for the next morning. Stepping into the bedroom, he reached for the lamp on the dresser, flicking it on before leaving his keys next to it. Sighing wearily, he ruffled his hand through his hair before starting to undress. As he was doing so, the phone began to ring, the sound shrill in the silence. The medic almost jumped at the sudden sound. Clad in only his pants, Edwin hurried out to the living room fearing that it might be someone from headquarters about Billy. Reaching for the cordless handset, he put it to his ear. “Hello?”

The voice on the other end was young, that much was immediately apparent. "M-Mister Steen?"

Lifeline frowned at the use of his given name by a voice he didn’t know. “Yes, this is Edwin Steen.”

"Thank god! I've been trying to call all week... This is Robby Coen. I'm Billy's son." Edwin covered his face with his hand, his eyes closing as he made a choked sound. Oh god, no...

"Uh...Mister Steen? Are you still there?" Robby asked when several more moments passed in silence.

“Uh yes, yes. I’m sorry, I uh...you surprised me that’s all.” The medic swallowed as he tried to steady his voice a bit. “Hello, it’s nice to finally get a chance to talk to you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

"Really?"

“Your father talks about you all the time,” Lifeline replied.

"Is he around somewhere? I'm really worried about him..."

Edwin’s eyes once again fell on the black hat by the door and he squeezed them shut for a moment. “No, I’m sorry, he’s not here right now.” Remarkably, the medic’s voice was relatively steady as he spoke, the tone much softer than before.

"Oh. Is he back on the base or something?" All at once the boy paused. "Um...or is he somewhere you can't tell me?"

Lifeline was quiet for a few moments as he considered his words. “I uh...I’m not sure where he is right now, Robby.” The lie flowed off his tongue with relative ease, something that the medic wasn’t sure he liked.

"Oh." The young man sounded terribly disappointed. After a few moments of silence, Robby spoke again. "I'm...really sorry I bothered you, Mr. Steen."

“It’s okay Robby, I don’t mind.” Edwin said softly, putting as much sincerity into his voice as he could. “I just wish I could tell you something, but...well you know some of the things that your dad does are top secret, and he can’t even tell me.”

"I know...Thanks for your time."

The disappointment was strong in the young man’s voice. “If you don’t mind my asking, is anything wrong?” Lifeline asked.

"No...it's just...it's not like him to not call...I guess...Mom's got me kinda worried."

“How so?” the medic asked as he perched on the arm of the sofa.

"She just...well, she gets really mad at Dad sometimes...says stuff. I've just been worried about him. He usually calls every couple of days...I guess I'm just afraid something bad is gonna happen to him. I mean, they'd tell us if it did, right?"

“Of course they would,” Edwin replied. “But I wouldn’t worry too much. Your father is a strong man and a good soldier. I know he’ll be okay.”

"Yeah, you're right. Look, uh...if you see him or something...and he just can't call for some reason...will you tell him I miss him and I love him?"

The medic’s eyes slid closed once again and he nodded his dark head unseen. “I will Robby, I promise.” Lifeline’s voice answered softly. “By the way, it’s okay if you call here. I don’t mind, really. I know sometimes it’s hard to get anyone at your dad’s office.”

"I-if you're sure. I know he stays there when he's not at the base."

“He asked me and I said it was okay, so don’t worry about it. Besides, it kind of gives you and me a chance to talk and maybe get to know each other better.”

"Cool. But, um...I know it's kinda late, so I guess I should probably let you go. Thanks, Mr. Steen."

Edwin couldn’t help but smile a little. “No problem. Oh, and for the record, you can call me Edwin if you want.”

"Thanks. Um, bye."

“Bye...wait a minute. Do you have something to write with?”

"Uh...yeah, hang on just a second."

The medic waited for Robby to get back to the phone. “Here’s my cell phone number in case you can’t get an answer here. I’m probably going to be spending a lot of time on base so I won’t be able to check the messages very often.” He said when the young man returned to the line. “If something happens or if you just need to talk then call me on that okay?” Without waiting for a reply, Lifeline rattled off the numbers to Robby.

Robby wrote the number down carefully, and read it back to Edwin before replying. "I really appreciate this..."

“I promised your dad that I’d try to keep an eye on you when he wasn’t around.”

"Thanks...but I really oughta go. I'll, uh, talk to you later."

“Good night,” Lifeline said, hanging up the phone once he heard the other end disconnect. Reaching up for his glasses, he slipped them from his face and set them on the table next to phone before covering his face with a hand God, please don’t make me have to tell that boy his father is dead...or worse...

# # #

Through a haze of morphine-induced lethargy, Billy watched quietly as Rebecca and Edwin set about the task of setting up the ultrasound machine. He had a momentary image flash through his mind of the last time he'd seen a machine of that sort. It was when his wife was still pregnant, and he'd had the opportunity to go along with her to one of her doctor's appointments. He could still bring to mind that first glimpse of his son, and still feel a measure of the mingled fear and exhilaration at the idea that he was going to be a father. The memory drew a slight smile from him, before a fresh flash of pain slithered through his consciousness.

Edwin glanced down at the Marine, trying to give Billy a small smile of reassurance. Drawing on a few favors, the medic had managed to get the ultrasound equipment much earlier than he had anticipated and once it had been delivered to the base, he had wasted no time in seeing that it was set up under Rebecca’s watchful eye in Billy’s makeshift room in the containment lab.

Rebecca, for her own part, was getting the machine warmed up and ready, trusting Edwin to prep Billy for the procedure itself. Although she was a licensed doctor now, there was still a part of her that felt uncomfortable handling Billy in any way that required the removal, or relocation, of clothing. It wasn't something she was going to be able to easily explain, and hoped she wouldn't be asked.

Unasked, Lifeline set about maneuvering Billy up a bit so that he could untie the hospital gown, trying to be as gentle as he could as he did so. While the morphine drip had initially appeared to help the Marine’s pain, it now appeared to be having less of an effect, with the medic noticing an increase in the flashes that crossed his lover’s face or caused his body to twitch. Deftly undoing the ties on the back over the gown, Edwin pushed it down towards Billy’s waist, exposing the Marine’s upper chest and abdomen. Gently lowering the other man back down on the mattress, he reached and pulled the sheet up to Billy’s waist.

Another burst of pain made the Marine's breath hitch, and his hands tightened into fists. The morphine was keeping the pain at a tolerable level, and he knew that if it hadn't been for the powerful medication, he'd be half out of his mind.

Trying to be unobtrusive as possible, Edwin slid his hand down to Billy's forearm, settling his palm on it and giving the too pale-looking flesh a slight squeeze. Due to the early arrival of the ultrasound equipment, coupled with the bustle to get it set up, the medic had not had the opportunity to mention Robby's phone call to the Marine yet. Rebecca glanced over at the two and spoke softly. "'Bout ready?"

Edwin’s hand slid away as he nodded. “Think so.” The medic took a few steps away from the bed to give Rebecca some room. Giving the controls another quick visual check, the young woman took up the transducer probe and gave it a liberal coating of clear gel before moving to Billy’s bedside and touching the device to the Marine’s chest. Glancing at the display screen, she began to slowly move the probe over Billy’s upper chest.

The probe shifted slowly over Billy's chest, and Rebecca let her emerald gaze shift between what she was doing and the monitor that both she and Edwin were watching. Billy made a slight face as the probe moved, the gel leaving a wet, slick trail that felt too much like the leeches from all those years ago. He remained silent, his eyes wandering toward the monitor. Edwin and Rebecca were telling him very little about just what was wrong with him, prompting the man to start trying to get some answers on his own.

Lifeline’s eyes were intent on the monochrome display screen, his dark gaze trying to decipher just what he was seeing. The medic couldn't help but be struck by the almost absurd thought that, under a different set of circumstances, he could have been an expectant father looking at his future offspring instead of a man looking at a possible parasitic mutation that might be taking over the body of his clandestine male lover. As Edwin watched, something on the screen shifted, almost as if it moved of it own volition and he quickly glanced at Rebecca.

Rebecca's brows knitted slightly and she glanced down at Billy's chest, seeing the probe just over his sternum. She looked back up at the monitor, and slowly moved the probe toward the movement. She wondered briefly if they might simply be catching the motions of Billy's heart as it beat, until she realized she was moving in entirely the wrong direction for it.

As the pair watched the monitor, the image shifted once again, the movement coinciding with a fresh flash of pain that shot through Billy and made the Marine grit his teeth and clench is fists again. They took a few still images, and then Rebecca started the probe moving again, trying to see if there were any other anomalies. She was also trying to keep a sharp eye on Billy, ready to cease the exam if the pain started getting to be too much. Edwin’s eyes constantly darted from the display monitor to Rebecca trying to judge the young woman’s reaction to what they were seeing, but her face gave away nothing as she methodically moved the transducer probe over Billy, pausing only to add a bit more gel to the probe before continuing on.

As the examination continued, Billy kept his eyes riveted to the monitors. Edwin and Rebecca were saying nothing about what they were seeing, but the implications seemed pretty clear. There was definitely something there that shouldn't be. Rebecca took a couple more images from varying angles on the Marine’s chest before removing the probe and setting it aside. Lifeline looked at the young woman anxiously, his dark eyes full of questions. Rebecca met Edwin's eyes and then looked back down at the printer that was busily turning out the stills she'd selected. Seeing that he would have to wait, at least until Rebecca had a chance to examine the prints, Lifeline turned his attention to Billy, looking down at his lover, the Marine’s bare chest slick and glistening from the transducer gel. “To paraphrase Ghostbusters, it looks like you’ve been slimed,” he said, a small smile framing his lips.

Billy tore himself from his dark thoughts and looked up at Edwin with a faint smile. "I'd noticed that. Oh well, at least it wasn't leeches this time..."

The medic grimaced in distaste, having heard – in detail – about the infamous leeches that Billy and Rebecca had encountered while they had been trapped inside the Umbrella Training Facility.

"And it's not like it was that acid the Leech Queen kept trying to spit on you," Rebecca spoke up, picking up the prints as they finished and tucking them under one arm as she walked over.

"Can't argue."

"Lifeline and I need to go have a look at these, but we may need to take a few more pictures. So we can't clean you up just yet. Sorry."

Billy shot Rebecca a look and smirked. "You're just looking for an excuse to keep me bare-chested."

She sighed dramatically. "You found me out."

"I've been a bad influence. On both of you."

“Which isn’t keeping you up at night racked with guilt, I’m sure.” Lifeline tossed out in-between the friendly banter between the Marine and the former S.T.A.R.S member.

"Nope. The corruption is too much fun," Billy shot back.

Rebecca chuckled. "This shouldn't take too long," she said, before looking at Edwin and tilting her head toward the door.

“Hold tight,” the medic said to Billy. “We’ll be back in a little bit.” Giving his lover a quick smile he headed towards the automatic door and pressed the button to open it, standing aside so that Rebecca could precede him.

Once they were back in the observation area and the door was shut tightly behind them, Rebecca slumped down into a chair and sighed. Dismissing the nurse who had been manning the monitoring console for a break, Edwin leaned against the corner of the desk, fastening his dark eyes on the young woman across from him. “It’s the Genesis, isn’t it?” His voice was soft, the words spoken almost tentatively.

"It's not a Nemesis parasite, no," Rebecca said, correcting the medic. "But it's definitely a parasite of some kind...and it's big..." She held out the prints for Edwin to peruse. "It's something extremely invasive, too."

Lifeline took the black and white images from Rebecca, his gaze intent as he looked at them slowly, a feeling of nausea growing in his stomach as he looked at each one, noting the abnormalities. Finishing the last of the images, the medic put his hand to his mouth as he remembered the momentary glance he had of something dark and wet, wriggling from where he had tried to insert the epidural catheter the day before in Billy’s lower back. "Any thoughts?" Rebecca asked, noting Edwin's expressions.

“Plenty; and none of them good,” Lifeline answered as he rubbed at his forehead with his fingertips. After a few moments, he set the pictures aside and once again looked at Rebecca. “How do we get rid of it?”

"That, I don't know. We saw...the beginnings of something like this in some of the other bodies that you sent to us, but nothing this developed."

Edwin pushed his glasses up and pressed his thumb and forefinger to the corners of his eyes for a several long moments before he wearily dropped his hand and turned towards the glass observation window, his impaired gaze unable to see Billy. “There has to be something...radiation . . ?”

"That might work. I'm not sure whether to treat this as a cancer or not...We're going to have to do an MRI on him, Lifeline. We need to know just how...big that thing may have gotten." Rebecca looked down at her hands. "Because if...my theory is right..."

“What?” The medic asked, his dark eyes turning towards Rebecca and fastening on her slim form. “What theory?”

"I think that...thing, whatever it is...may be the cause of Billy's bruises, the pain...all of it."

Edwin was silent for a few minutes. “I don’t know if he can handle an MRI, not after what happened the first time around. Maybe with a wide-open one but ...that would mean having to transport him somewhere.” The medic’s glasses slipped back down on his face.

"At this point, if we have to put him under a full-blown anesthetic, that's just what we're going to have to do." Rebecca shook her head. "I don't wanna do this to him, but we don't have any other choice...And until we know precisely what we're dealing with, we're going to have to treat him like he's contagious."

Lifeline fell silent once again, his eyes going to the stills on the desk next to him. “What about...a scope?” he asked tentatively, looking at Rebecca.

"A scope?" Rebecca tilted her head to the side as she considered it.

The medic nodded. “Yes... a camera.” Edwin gave her a small momentary smile, and turned back towards the observation glass. “Maybe we can try a biopsy at the same time.” The dark-haired man turned back towards the young woman. “Up until now, all we’ve had to work from is a blood sample. I think it would be good if we could get an actual tissue sample from it.”

Rebecca nodded. "You're probably right. We've got a pretty extensive database on the Umbrella bio-weapons back at the CDC. If we can get a sample of the actual parasite, they can probably tell us more.”

“We have the equipment here, but...well it’s not something I’ve ever had to do.” Edwin admitted quietly.

"Do you have any technicians who have? Someone who wouldn't completely lose it during the procedure?"

“I don’t know,” the medic responded. “I can check the personnel files.” Lifeline’s dark eyes focused on Rebecca. “I was kind of hoping that you could do it though. Duke wants to keep this as quiet as possible for as long as we can.”

There was silence from the young woman for several long moments before she looked up at Edwin and nodded. "Then that's how we'll do it."

Edwin pushed away from the desk. “Just let me know when and I’ll get it arranged.”

"How about first thing tomorrow morning? He'll be less agitated then, and I'll have a chance to get some halfway decent sleep first."

The medic nodded his head. “In the morning then.” Lifeline’s eyes went back to the observation glass, his dark gaze falling on Billy’s bed.

Rebecca stood up slowly, and walked over to stand near Edwin, reaching to lay a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to find a way to help him..." she said softly. "We just need more information."

Edwin nodded his head slowly, his eyes on the man on the other side of the glass.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He could feel it moving within him, stirring. He wasn't even sure what it was. A parasite? He was fairly certain that was what Rebecca called it. Or had that been Edwin? He wasn't sure. But Billy was certain the presence wasn't a parasite. After all, if it was a true parasite, wouldn't it have killed him by now?

Billy couldn't exactly communicate with it, but on some level, they understood one another. It was through this strange link that he began to understand the parasite, or whatever it was. In its own way, it explained to the Marine just how thoroughly they were intertwined. The information made him uncomfortably aware of pulses and subtle movements separate from that of his own body.

The realization made his stomach lurch. He held up his hand, studying it intently. He wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for. Some outward manifestation of the other presence perhaps? If so, he was disappointed. There were none that he could see. His skin was starting to turn pale from the lack of sunlight, and his palm was as rough and calloused as it ever was. There were bruises there, faint ones along the back of his hand. He didn't remember them being there before, but that didn't mean anything anymore. The pain medication Edwin and Rebecca had been giving him kept him from being able to track time reliably.

Billy nearly managed to convince himself that it was the medication that was making his imagination work overtime when his hand slowly clenched into a tight fist. That, in and of itself wasn't surprising, merely somewhat painful. It was the fact that his hand had done so involuntarily that scared the shit out of him.

He tried to unclench the fist, almost frantic in his need to assure himself that the whole thing was just the result of his imagination running wild on him. The hand remained stubbornly closed, almost mocking him as panic began to gain a more firm hold foothold on his consciousness. Billy lay still, staring at his hand as if it belonged to someone else. It may as well have, he decided, as the hand flowered open slowly. Each finger uncurled with the deliberate slowness of an interpretive dancer, the motion indicating complete control over every nuance of movement. Billy watched with a mix of fascination and horror as the hand turned this way and that, showing itself off, before lowering itself to lay back on the bed again.

Billy hardly dared to breathe as he lay there, hyper-aware of his body. He could feel his heart thundering in his chest, hear the ragged pants that he realized were his own breaths. He was acutely aware of a drop of sweat as it slid from his hair and ran down his face, tracing a scar here, or a worry-line there. He was completely drenched, the sheet sticking to him like a second skin, but shivering as if it were the dead of winter. He couldn't help it; the message of that little display was chillingly clear.

Whatever was inside of him, it was taking over.

It was beginning to manipulate him like a marionette.

And worse of all, no one would know.

Fighting down the urge to be sick, Billy forced himself to calm down. The presence, whatever it was, was starting to take over, or had already taken over his body. But it didn't seem to be affecting his mind yet. That meant he still had time. He made a vow to himself to get some answers concerning his condition in the morning, whatever it took. In the meantime, he just had to get some rest.

It was a long time before he slept.
- 2
- 3
- 4
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Unsung Heroes: Mission Two