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Blaze Maddie V ?Hey, Robert, can you take my Med Runner intro class this afternoon? I have a lunch date with Heather,? Dr. Smith asked. ?Sure, but you owe me one, Jack,? Robert answered. ?Just add it to my tab. I?ve lost count how many I owe you.? ?Don?t worry, I?m keeping track.? ?I wouldn?t expect any less from a friend,? Jack grinned then left. Dr. Robert Stevens is the head of Skycenter Medical?s metabolic transformation ward. He was one of the pioneering doctors in metabolic transformation and probably knew more about RV281 and its affects than any other person on the planet. Many doctors of his stature would have scoffed at being asked to teach a basic intro class, but Dr. Stevens knew the importance that the Med Runners played in the lives of the victims of RV 281. He hoped that by giving them the very best information they would be able to provide better care for their patients and a larger margin of safety for themselves. He spent the next hour going over many of his notes from teaching previous classes. He didn?t really need the notes, all the information was safely filed away in the computer he called a brain. Having written more than his share of medical literature on the subject he could probably have taught an advanced recovery course on the subject never having to open a book or look at any notes. Even with all that knowledge, he knew that RV281 had a way of surprising him. That?s why he enjoyed Metabolic Transformation so much. The challenge and individuality involved with each case managed to keep his attention and excitement like no other field had been able to. Looking at the clock confirmed he had just enough time to grab something to eat and drink and get to class just before the students. About five minutes before the class was to start, the students began to take their seats. Dr. Stevens checked the student list and noted that there was going to be a large class. He was pleased at the turnout. There was a serious shortage of well-trained Runners on the streets. The training was a tough job; maybe just half would make it through all the training and actually become Med Runners. He looked around at the students and tried to pick out the ones he thought would make it through training. It was just a mental exercise since he knew that sometimes the ones you least expect end up being the best. He waited an additional two minutes after the official start time to give stragglers time to make it in. ?Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Dr. Robert Stevens,? he introduced himself. A dozen hands shot up at the mention of his name. ?Yes, I?m that Dr. Stevens,? all the hands dropped back down. ?Being that Dr. Smith had a date and I didn?t, I got voted to come run my mouth and bore you with the tedious details.? That got the laugh he was hoping for. He found it was always better to loosen things up at the beginning of a new class. It helps the students relax and get things moving a little more quickly. ?Let?s start out with the cause of Metabolic Transformation. A small relatively harmless retro virus called RV281 is the little bug that is causing all the problems. It was originally developed to carry new bits of DNA into a cell or group of cells to replace damaged or incomplete genes. After finishing its job, it?s supposed to die and be absorbed by the host cell. It functioned exactly as it was supposed to for the first few years. It seems that viruses have a tendency to mutate every so often and RV281 was no different. Instead of shuttling DNA into a cell then dying it began surviving then began copying small DNA profiles. The real problem came when RV281 decided it wanted to move around from cell to cell and from person to person, cutting and splicing genes wherever it deemed necessary. The effects from this splicing went unnoticed for a while until strange problems began to arise. Early on those problems were easily fixed with gene therapy treatment. Even today minor cases can be resolved relatively quickly. We call those Series 1 infections. Very rarely do these types of infections do more than cause minor discomfort. Several vaccines have been developed to prevent most of those types of infections. The only drawback is that they are only effective on viruses that have undergone no more than two mutations. Viruses that have undergone more than two but less than five mutations are second-generation viruses. Infections by these viruses are Series 2 infections. These cases make up the bulk of all RV infections. Series 2 variants have the ability to rearrange just enough DNA to start causing noticeable changes. Rarely do these cases result in anything other than minor physical abnormalities. With the right treatments, the affects on the body, in general, are on par with a bad flu. Any viruses that have undergone more than five mutations are first-generation viruses. They are the oldest types and are direct descendants of the first virus to mutate. Cases of this type of infection are called Series 3 and are the most rare with no available treatment. The genetic code has been sliced, diced and patched too many times. Any attempt at further gene therapy would only exacerbate the problem. Series 3 infections can be broken down into three categories; Series 3a victims have almost total genetic meltdown. Many times these cases end in severe deformities, mental and/or physical handicaps, or death. Unfortunately these cases are the most common of the three sub categories. Too many genetic changes cause the DNA strands to become fragile and they deteriorate rapidly. With no control, the body begins to self-destruct. Series 3b and 3c are very similar and the most interesting. Those inflicted with either case have the potential to develop almost superhuman abilities. These abilities can manifest themselves as either physical attributes or psychic ability. Rare cases involve the development of both physical and psychic abilities. This is the amazing part about RV infection. We just don?t know what to expect from it. Every case is different so you must be able to adjust your treatment on the fly. The B series infections more or less keep those infected as human. Those that become infected can be compared to the superheroes and supervillians of old movies and books. One may end up looking just as they had before their change or they may grow larger and change color as well as texture. The Hulk would be a prime example of a Series 3b infection. There is some limit on what 3b will do. Mostly, the limitations lie in the human bone structure. It can manage to make a skeleton larger but there are limits to that. When a human skeleton is scaled up past ten feet, the engineering begins to break down. The strain on joints gets to be too high and things begin to break. Conversely, 3b only has a limited capacity to shrink bones. Mostly, it can only manage a slight slimming. This is where Mother Nature saves us; there is no natural mechanism for shrinking bones. The virus can trick the body into a growing phase but it has no way to shrink anything other than removing minerals. That would lead to weakened bones and gets dangerously close to a meltdown. Those that survive the change can develop any number of abilities and physical traits. Some develop psychic or paranormal abilities while others have a more physical change. By far, those few folks who develop both physical and mental abilities are the most rare of all Series 3. I have seen only a handful of these over my career. Series C cases are the most likely to be the real nasty ones. These are where the real monsters of our world come form. These cases arise when someone gets some animal DNA mixed in with their change. The added pressure of trying to assimilate the added DNA creates great stresses on the body and psyche of those that are infected. Many lose their minds and become the epitome of evil. They live in a constant nightmare state with nearly uncontrollable destructive urges. There is the rare case in which the victim manages to survive the change and keep their sanity. I keep mentioning the change. The change manifests itself differently for everyone infected by RV281. Series 3a infections have a domino like affect. Once it starts, it changes something a little. Those changes make other changes and those changes make even more changes. The cycle continues until the bodies of the victims can no longer function. That cycle is called genetic meltdown or just meltdown. The time it takes for a 3a case to run its course is usually short. Once it begins, the speed of changes and breakdowns keeps accelerating. The lucky ones go from relatively healthy beings to death in a matter of days. The unlucky ones are forced to endure weeks or months of pain and suffering. Your only real course of action is to try and make the patient as comfortable as possible. Series 3b and 3c are a little different since they usually complete the change in one blessedly short event. Generally, the lower the intensity of the change the least amount of physical and mental changes along with the least powerful of enhanced abilities. Those are normally considered best-case scenarios. People who have undergone that type of change generally are able to live mostly normal lives. The more explosive the change the more likely you are to have a powerful ability. But there is a downside to that. A quick explosive change uses up a lot of energy, sometimes more than a body can produce. Once all the food energy and fat reserves are used up, the patient goes into what is called burndown. The body will begin to convert muscle tissue and internal organs into energy. Without immediate intervention the burndown will continue until the victim can no longer survive. It isn?t pretty and is extremely painful. Trust me. I?ve seen some of the worst meltdowns and burndowns. I?ve also had the privilege of seeing some truly amazing recoveries. I know that was a lot of information. I did at least spare you the really tedious boring details of actual mechanics of the virus and change. That?s another class entirely. Any one have any questions so far?? he asked the class. A few hands were raised and he went back over the material they had questions on. ?Now we come to you and your job. Med runners are a RV infected person?s paramedics. You will be trained in the special safety requirements and treatment management for your patients. RV is not an airborne disease. It can?t be caught from a sneeze or cough. The Series 1 vaccine is highly affective and basic safety practices will keep you from becoming infected by the other strains. If you are worried about exposure, I give myself as an example. I have been working with very serious Series 3 infections in all stages of development for the last ten years. Neither myself nor anyone on my staff has ever contracted any of the variations. Your biggest tools in the field are your enhanced liquids and metabolic inhibitors. You may hear them referred to as juice pouches and downers by other Runners. Most burndowns can be handled using a combination of those two items. Once you get a victims metabolism down to a manageable level, he or she goes into a semi catatonic state called gone flat. It?s a forced pause in their change process. It?s not a permanent fix but it usually will buy you some time. At that point they are considered safe to move. The rule we have is we don?t try to move a victim until we have him or her flat. The last thing you want is an unstable patient who goes into hyper kinetic convulsions or starts emitting spontaneous flames inside the small confines of your transports. Your last major concern when transporting a burndown patient is spiking. If brain activity drops and the body starts moving, we call it spiking. Spiking is extremely dangerous for both the patient and caregiver. The brain is no longer in control of the body. When a person spikes during their change, their bodies are desperately trying to find food to fuel its change. Many times they will try to eat anything near. That includes you and any equipment you have nearby. The most dangerous situations you may be put in are open-air night runs. Open-air refers to being outside a building or in an unpopulated area. Night is by far the most dangerous time for normal humans to be out and about. These days there are real bogeymen out there. The risk is too great to the lives of the runners to require it. They are run on a voluntary basis only. I know of only one team of runners that have done more than three dozen successful OAN runs. Even though they won?t admit it, Jonathan and Mandy are probably the best team on the streets today. My advice is to never pass up a chance to ride along with them. I?m getting a little off subject. Let?s get back to OAN runs.? One student raised his hand, ?you have a question Mr.?? The doctor asked. ?Davis, sir. I was just wondering who was the gunner on the team?? Mr. Davis asked. ?They don?t have one,? Robert answered. ?No, gunner? Isn?t that taking a very serious risk?? ?I would agree that it?s a very serious risk. I asked Jonathan one day why they don?t have one and he told me that a Med Runner?s job is to save lives, not take them. I?m not saying that they go unprepared. They have developed a few techniques that seem to work very well. We?ll get to those later. Can we get back to the topic at hand?? ?Yes, Sir. I just think that is crazy,? Mr. Davis replied. ?There are many people who would probably agree with you. Now, back to OAN runs. Probably your greatest concern is running into a Vampira or Lycan. Vampira got their names from their similarities to the movie vampires. They have unstable DNA chains that can easily be destroyed by a few minutes exposure to the sun so they only come out at night. They are seriously insane tough bastards that can take an unbelievable amount of damage. Crosses, holy water, and any of the other traditional holy weapons are useless against them. It?s unknown why, but they have a taste for human blood. They can?t survive on it and it has no affect on them other than to drive them into a frenzy at the sight or smell of it. The leading theory is that they believe they are vampires and believe they must have it to survive. We refer to these types of things as compulsions. Those are things that seem to have no physical affect but have a tremendous mental affect. They are handy to know about. If Vampiras are the equivalent to Vampires then Lycans are the modern equivalent to Werewolves. Lycans are Series 3c victims that resemble a cross of wolf and man. They are strong, agile, and dangerous. Lycans will feed on any type of animal they come into contact with and that includes human and Vampira. They usually run in packs of three or more and are very efficient predators. Once they zero in on a target, the target rarely escapes. They have an acute sense of smell and incredible endurance. Unlike their made up counterparts, regular bullets are effective on Lycans. There is nothing particularly supernatural about them. Anything that can cause a human harm can cause Lycans harm. They just are far tougher than the average Joe. Lycans? compulsion is the full moon. They don?t have the ability to transform from human to wolfman but they do tend to get highly active during the full moon. Again, we have no idea why other than they just think they should. Their activity is very low to non-existent most of the time.? Dr. Stevens finished up with the lecture portion of class then took the students on a tour of the Metabolic Transformation ward then showed them their transports and equipment. The students got a laugh when he affectionately called the MT ward Monster Hall. They were very attentive and asked many intelligent questions. Most showed a genuine interest and concern for the victims of RV. Dr. Stevens was enjoying the class. He had high hopes for them. In no time at all, class was over. He stayed for a while telling some stories of his more memorable and humorous cases. The students seemed to enjoy the stories and stayed until he finally told them all to go home a few hours later. He was going to go back to his office to finish some paper work but decided to call it a day instead. After all, the paperwork would be there in the morning. He laughed at that thought. In his younger days, he would have definitely gone back to the office and finished everything before heading home. ?With age comes wisdom,? he thought to himself He didn?t feel like cooking dinner for himself again so he stopped and picked up Chinese takeout on the way home. It was evenings like that one that the loss of his wife, Melanie, hit him especially hard. He missed not being able to talk to her. He had tried not to bring the sad parts of his job home with him but he wouldn?t hesitate to tell her about the miracles that happened occasionally. She loved hearing about those. She would have been happy about his excitement over the latest class of Med Runners. They would have talked for hours. They had always been that way together. They had met when Robert was just an intern at the hospital and Melanie was a second year nurse. She seemed to be the only one that could keep up with him. Their working relationship spilled over into their personal relationship and they ended up spending most of their time together. A year later, they were happily married. They had one of those all too rare relationships that worked on all levels. They were often described as soul mates and the perfect couple. The only thing that they seemed to lack was a family. They had often discussed having children. Robert wanted children almost as much as Melanie did but they wanted to wait until their careers had a chance to stabilize. Little did they know that time was against them. Melanie was one of the early victims of the Series 3a infection. They had been planning their first vacation since Robert became a resident at Skycenter Medical. On Monday evening she called him to tell him she?d made reservations for their Caribbean cruise and they were all set for next month. He was looking forward to the time with her. He had been so busy at the hospital that he didn?t get to see her nearly enough. A weeklong cruise under a clear blue sky and next to Melanie with no beepers or emergency calls was his vision of heaven. They never made it on that cruise. Three weeks later Melanie was in the hospital fighting a losing battle. The infection had begun its final devastating phase. The next day she was dead. She had put on a heroic fight and Robert was by her side throughout the entire terrifying ordeal. He had felt so helpless watching his beautiful wife struggle for her life. For all his studies and training, there was nothing that he could have done. Those were the early days and very little was known about RV281 and Metabolic transformation. The first night alone in their house was the hardest night of his life. He was haunted by the memories of their all too short time together. He regretted not spending enough time with her and for waiting too long to have children. He cursed God for taking her away from him too soon. He cried for all their missed vacations. He cried for the loss of the wonderful conversations they would never get to have. He cried for not having anyone to share his life with. Somewhere in the dark cold hours of the morning he drifted into a fitful sleep. It would take months before he could return to work. Many of his friends worried that he may never return to his old self. Robert vowed to himself to find a way to beat RV281. With a determination born of grief and anger he threw himself into learning everything there was to learn about that hateful little virus. He quickly rose through the ranks of his peers to become the leading expert on RV. He still couldn?t stop the virus but he was finding new ways to help those infected by it. Robert pulled himself out of the past to find him sitting in front of his cold take out. His memories had wiped out any desire to eat for the night. He had missed more meals than he cared to count due to nights like that one. ?What I wouldn?t give for an emergency call right now,? he said to himself, ?What I need is a serious distraction.? His pager went off startling him. A check of the readout confirmed that he was needed back at the hospital. He looked up and mouthed ?thank you,? to an unseen force. He tossed his untouched meal into the trash then picked up the phone to call Sara, his head nurse. She picked up on the second ring. ?What have you got over there, Sara,? he asked. ?We?ve got two coming in. The first is Cole Draven and he is in severe meltdown and is spiking. Mandy Connor is the Tech and she?s pushed all available juice and has one inhibitor left. He?s just soaking everything up. I?m afraid it?s going to get ugly for him,? Sara reported. ?OK, Let?s get everyone ready and have the cryo unit on standby. We may have to ice him. What about the second?? ?Hang on a sec, I?m just getting the report on him,? there was about a minute pause while Sara read the report. ?Oh no, Robert, it?s Jonathan Kahne. He got bitten when Mr. Draven spiked. The rest of the report doesn?t make sense though. It says they were able to restrain Draven but Jonathan passed out shortly after. According to the report it sounds like Jon is nearing burndown, but that?s impossible isn?t it?? ?Damn, how long ago was he bitten?? ?Looks like about twenty minutes ago.? ?If he is in burndown already, it will be one for the medical journals.? * Jonathan Jonathan Kahne was awakened by what he thought was the most annoying sound on the planet, his alarm clock. The buzzer on his clothes dryer was a close second, but he wouldn?t have to deal with that for a few days. He was tempted to hit the snooze button and get another nine precious minutes of sleep, but he knew that would only delay the inevitable. He reluctantly dragged himself out of bed and into the bathroom. The late afternoon sun had lost most of its strength, leaving the bathroom in a grayish gloom. He didn?t bother turning on the lights. He knew his home well enough not to bump into anything and he had no desire to see his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His body was on cruise control. Without any thought on his part, he found himself standing under a steaming hot shower, just as he did everyday. Routine was good for him. Getting up at the same time every day, getting ready the same way, stopping at the same little store everyday, were all little ways of keeping new situations to a minimum. Meeting new people and getting into new situations was very uncomfortable for him. The only place that he could deal with new rapidly changing situations was work. Jonathan was a Med Runner driver. Mandy Connor was his Tech. His main job was to get them safely to the patients and deliver them safely home. He also helped out with on-site treatments. Legally, he couldn?t order any treatment but he was qualified to administer them. Mandy was the real brains of their operation. It was her responsibility to get a patient stabilized and flat for transport. Some teams would also carry a Gunner. A Gunner usually had one job, keep Lycans, Vampira, and any other creature that had a taste for humans away from the Tech and Driver. In reality, a Gunner was usually just extra weight. The daylight hours were as safe for Runners as they were for the traditional paramedics. The threat of an attack was only serious after the sun went down. The dark was a requirement for Vampira, while Lycans preferred the dark alleys and shadows it provided. Jonathan and Mandy thought that Med Running and guns didn?t mix well. The last thing they wanted to worry about during an OAN run was a testosterone drunk Gunner shooting at anything that moved in the shadows. They felt that a little preparation and thought could greatly reduce the risks normally involved with night runs. A check of the weather report would tell them if they needed to worry about Vampira. Knowing their compulsion for blood was also handy. Jonathan always made sure they had a few extra units of blood if there was a strong possibility for them. As long as the Moon wasn?t full and they kept to the more populated areas, they would be relatively safe from Lycans. The theory had validity since they had more successful runs than most other teams had attempts. It was Mandy and his turn at the night watch. That made the possibility of an OAN very strong over the next few nights. He finished getting dressed then headed down to the parking lot to get his old bike started. He had acquired the Honda VFR750 from a friend who had lost interest in motorcycles after a minor accident that caused him to lay the bike down. Jonathan was offered the bike for free but he insisted on paying at least the wholesale price minus the cost of repairs. They ended up working out an agreement that gave the bike to Jonathan for far less than the bike was worth in exchange for his well-used pick-up. The truck was actually Jonathan?s second vehicle. It was a beat up old rattletrap that he only kept around in case he needed to move something or if his friends or family needed it. At the time of the trade, it hadn?t been moved in months. Jonathan was actually glad to be rid of it. It freed up the money he was spending to keep it insured, tagged, inspected, and stored. He used that saved money to get the bike back into beautiful running condition. It was a good investment, since he spent more time on it than not. It quickly became his favorite method of transportation. He continued his normal routine and stopped at his usual convenience store to pick up his regular breakfast of Dr. Pepper and a bag of nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips. Not the healthiest breakfast, but it would keep him going until lunch or dinner, depending on which shift he was working. He stowed those items in his tank bag and started his commute to work. Fifteen minutes and only one close call later, he arrived at work. Mandy was already there going through the transport checking to make sure it was properly stocked. ?Geez, Mandy, we don?t start for another ten minutes. What are you trying to do? Make the rest of us look bad?? he commented. ?I know, but I got bored waiting around for you,? she returned. It was there normal: you?re a workaholic and you?re a slacker banter. Jonathan opened the bag of chips and offered Mandy a chip. ?Are you ever going to start eating real food? You might feel a little better if you did.? ?Who said I feel bad?? he asked. ?Oh come on, Jon, we both know you?ve been depressed since dinosaurs roamed the Earth.? ?Actually, I only got depressed after they made me your partner,? he jabbed trying to change the subject. ?No, not this time, Bucko. You?re not changing the subject. I?m worried about you,? Mandy stated seriously. ?I know you are, Mom, but I?m fine, really.? ?You?re not fine, Jon. If you were anymore disconnected from the world around you you?d be floating around in space. When was the last time you did anything other than sit at home and play video games or watch TV?? ?Hey, I went out and saw a movie last weekend,? he said, trying to defend himself. ?With someone or alone?? ?I was by myself.? ?Why am I not surprised? When was the last time you even had a date. You are way too good looking and nice not to be giving the girls a chance at you. Hell, if I didn?t have Dan at home, I?d want to have a piece of you.? ?Now you?re just trying to embarrass me.? ?Is it working? Never mind, your red face tells me it is. All kidding aside, you are a wonderful person and I hate to think you?re just hiding yourself away. What are you so afraid of?? ?I?m not afraid,? he answered softly, ?I just don?t feel like I fit into this world.? ?What are you talking about?? Mandy asked but they were interrupted before Jonathan could answer. ?Mandy, J, we?ve got an OAN just outside the city perimeter. You guys up for it?? Rolly, the night watch dispatcher, called over the radio. They decided on taking it after verifying they were a week past full moon and the evening was going to be cold. Vampira usually prefer the air to be a bit warmer to be active outside. On cool nights they will usually keep indoors. With the moon a week past full, the Lycans wouldn?t be especially active either. The odds were good that they wouldn?t run into any trouble. They quickly finished checking the transport?s stocks and got suited up. Once they were rolling, Rolly started relaying the important information. From the basic report, they were expecting a serious burndown. The victim was twenty-two year old Cole Draven. The name sounded familiar to Mandy but she couldn?t quite place it. Cole Draven had started out as an overweight guy carrying something close three hundred and twenty pounds. By the time they got to him, his body had consumed almost a full two-thirds of his original weight and he was in severe distress. Mandy started an IV and had Jonathan start pushing the enriched glucose, affectionately know as juice pouches, to try and boost his fluid and energy levels. Jonathan gave him three more juice pouches and Mandy administered three doses of metabolic reducer before they started to get him under control. Mandy took a few seconds to get Cole hooked up to all the monitoring equipment then confirmed he was flat and ready to move. They moved him to a gurney and secured him for the trip back to Skyview. Mandy noticed he was already showing signs of changing. His teeth had become longer and more pointed. The fingernails on his left hand had an almost talon-like appearance. ?I hope he doesn?t go vamp,? Jonathan commented. ?It doesn?t look good for him regardless. This is one serious burndown. I?ve only seen one other case where the victim took more than four juice pouches and survived. If he lives, he?s going to be a powerful one that?s for sure,? Mandy replied. ?I?ll second that. Let?s get him back to the hospital before he has a chance to start up again.? ?He?s as ready as he?s going to get. Let?s get him loaded and get the heck out of here. We?ve been out far too long for my comfort. I don?t want to push our luck,? Mandy stated. Just as she was finishing her statement, Jonathan got the distinct impression that they were being watched. He took a slow look around trying to see if he could find their watchers. Maybe it was too many video games or maybe a real threat but, to Jonathan, the air seemed to be filled with a bitter sense of anger, hatred, and need. The affect was the same regardless of the cause. He had given himself a super-sized case of the Heebie Jeebies. Just as they got Cole over to the transport and started loading him in. The brain activity monitor alarm went off and he started moving around. ?Shit! He?s spiking,? Mandy swore. Cole?s body was doing it?s best to break free of its restraints. The top three straps holding him down snapped and he sat up and turned toward Mandy with his teeth bared. He was no longer in control of his body. He wasn?t actively seeking her out. He was just as likely to try and take a bite out of the metal gurney as to take a bite out of Mandy. Without thinking, Jonathan reached out and covered Cole?s mouth trying to keep him away from Mandy. Cole clamped down just below his thumb, taking a large chunk out of his hand. The pain was very intense, Jonathan almost pulled his hand away but his brain kicked in telling him he couldn?t let go of Cole. If he did, Cole would keep snapping at anything that came near him making it impossible to treat him and possibly injuring any of the three of them. ?Hang on, Jonathan!? Mandy yelled as she gave Cole a massive injection of a mixture of sedatives and metabolic inhibitors. The sedatives would do nothing to slow his change but it would keep the body from moving around on its own. Jonathan and Cole struggled together for a minute while the drug took affect. The pain running from his hand to his shoulder kept him from passing out. After another thirty seconds, Cole slipped back into flat and they were able to get him loaded and secured. Mandy took the next minute to tend to her friend. ?Dammit, Jonathan, this isn?t good. You?ve probably been infected,? she said with a look bordering on sheer terror. Jonathan was sure that if he could have seen himself, he would have been wearing a very similar expression. His world started to get gray and foggy. ?Looks like you?ll be driving home today,? he whispered as he slipped into the dark oblivion of unconsciousness. * Mandy Mandy Connor knew that the ringing phone meant only one thing, Dan, her husband, was working late again and they wouldn?t be having dinner together. It had been almost two weeks since they saw each other do more than sleep. Their schedules seemed to be conspiring to keep them separated. One week Mandy would work nights, Dan would work days. The next week it may be reversed. On the weeks that they actually managed to work the same hours, one of them would inevitably end up working late. She missed him. Reluctantly, she picked up the phone, ?Hi hon, working late again?? ?It looks like it. This project is proving to be Hell. Every time we fix a problem, two more pop up. I may be here all night,? Dan groaned. ?OK, but don?t forget to stop and eat dinner some time. You are entitled to a break every now and then you know.? ?What and ruin my reputation as a workaholic? You?re on nights the next couple days, right?? ?Yeah, hopefully it?ll be a quiet rotation. I miss you.? ?I miss you too Sweetheart. I promise I?ll be home more as soon as this project is over. Look, I?ve got to go. There?s a test run going and I need to be there to see the results. I?ll be on the test floor most of the evening, so leave a voicemail if you call. I?ll try and check it every hour or so. Love you,? he said. ?Love you,? she repeated then listened as he hung up the phone. She hated being the first to hang up and he knew it. Sometimes he would purposely not hang up just to mess with her. It had been a long while since he had done it though and that made her a little sad. She knew that they wouldn?t always be that overly sweet couple that everyone else hates, but she was still sorry to see those days go. Her evening plans had opened up with that call. She had hoped to have a nice hot dinner and some conversation with Dan. Without seeing each other for so long they would have plenty to talk about. Those plans were now scrapped, as she prepared to spend the next few hours by herself. She wondered how her partner Jonathan managed to spend so much time alone. He wasn?t married and barely dated. She could count the number of dates he had in the last year on one hand. If she was forced to spend that many days alone, she would have been ready for a nice padded room somewhere. She really didn?t have anything to do around the house. With both Dan and her spending so little time at home it rarely got that messy. About all she needed to do was an occasional tidying up along with a once over dusting to keep things neat. She had finished that task hours ago. She didn?t want to spend the few hours in that house by herself so she grabbed her work clothes and headed for Skyview Medical. Like her husband, Mandy was a first class workaholic. She probably logged more hours at work than anyone else except maybe for Jonathan. She had little patience for slacking off which didn?t help her make many friends. Jonathan seemed to be one of only a small few that could put up with her high standards. Even though she would give him a hard time and call him slacker, she knew he wasn?t anywhere close to a slacker. He was also one of the few men that could willingly accept taking orders from a woman. She had always been the type of girl who didn?t mind taking control. Add that to her drive and above average good looks and she got labeled ?bitch? more often than she cared to admit. She wasn?t particularly concerned with that fact. Her mentality and work ethic tended to allow her to stand out from the crowd of barely doers. She quickly had risen through the ranks of Med Runners becoming a lead Tech quicker than any other person in Runner history, and yes, that includes the guys. She wasn?t in a rush to get to work so she stopped and grabbed a light dinner then did a little shopping. Her heart wasn?t really into it so she ended up just walking around staring blankly into store windows. She thought about her and Dan for a while. She kept trying to figure out a way for them to see each other more. Short of one of them finding a new job with a more stable schedule she couldn?t think of anything. The chance of either one of them quitting their current jobs was slim to none. They both loved what they were doing. The aimless wandering had managed to kill some time so Mandy headed over to work. She would still be early, but she knew she could find plenty of stuff to do. After stashing her stuff in her locker, she got changed into her jumpsuit/ uniform then headed out to check on her transport. The daily log required checking on the truck?s mechanicals but she left those tasks for Jonathan when he came in. She busied her- self with checking their supplies and making a request list to fill any depleted items. As she was working, her mind drifted back to Jonathan. He was worrying her. For as long as she had known him, which was nearly four years, he had been depressed. Maybe not severely but certainly depressed most of the time. Many times before she tried talking to him about it but he usually just changed the subject. That was unusual since Jon was able to talk to her about nearly everything else. She got the impression that he had been hurt very badly at some point but was dead set against saying anything about it. She had decided to talk him into seeing someone. Once he arrived, they started their normal bickering. She attempted to get him to open up about his depression but he managed to avoid it again. They were called out on an OAN run and that stopped the conversation as they prepared for the run. The trip out was uneventful. Mandy had high hopes for getting things stable and flat then getting out of there before anyone knew they were there. Unfortunately, things didn?t go her way. First, Cole Draven was in major burndown. That took extra time and effort to get him under enough control to move him. Then, as they were trying to get him loaded, he spiked and started after her. Jonathan did the incredibly stupid thing of grabbing a spiking patient and ended up getting bitten. She didn?t know why, but she was surprised when Jon put himself in danger to save her. If someone had asked her if he would do something like that, she would have definitely said yes, but seeing him actually doing it still surprised her. It showed her how much he cared for her and she was deeply touched. From the moment it happened she knew that things were going to get very bad for Jon. He somehow managed to help get Cole secured and loaded before he himself collapsed. Having Jon collapse so soon after being infected had her worried. She had seen him get hit by a car only to stand up and brush himself off as if he had merely tripped. He even managed to continue with rescue efforts. Having him pass out after being bitten sounded every internal alarm Mandy possessed. She immediately sprung into action knowing the sooner she got them to Skyview the better. Fortunately for her, Jonathan was a lightweight. He wasn?t a tiny guy. Standing six feet tall moves anyone out of tiny status. He was, however, very lightly built. Even with the modest amount of muscle, he barely tipped the scales at 150 lbs. She was able to get him maneuvered into a transportable position. He was proceeding with unheard of speed, barely ten minutes had passed and he was already showing signs of entering burndown. With both of her patients secure, she called into Skyview to update them on her situation. Rolly didn?t believe her at first. ?Mandy, are you joking with me? I mean no one goes from uninfected to burndown in minutes. That sort of thing usually takes days if not weeks,? Rolly stated in disbelief. ?Look, Rolly, I know this sounds crazy, but have you ever known me to joke like this?? ?No, I guess you don?t. Jesus, Jon?s already burning. You want me to send some help?? ?No, I don?t have time to wait for anyone to get out here. They?re both quiet now but I?m afraid that could change at any minute. Draven would be a handful even if Jon was able to help me. I need to get these guys back home as quickly as possible.? ?OK, I?ll get Will and Michael to meet you halfway and escort you back just in case you need some help,? he offered. ?Sounds like a plan but I?m not stopping unless it?s absolutely necessary. Tell them not to take it personally.? ?I will and I?ve sent the report to Dr. Stevens? team. They?ll be waiting for you. Good Luck and be safe.? ?I?ll settle for getting all three of us back in one piece. I?m on the move now,? she finished as she got the transport headed back towards Skyview. Together, Will and Michael were one of the best Runner teams and the only team that could keep up with Mandy and Jon. She was relieved to know that she would have their help if she needed it. Knowing Will, he?d be driving like a bat out of Hell, so she figured she?d only be alone with Draven and Jon for about ten minutes. She wasn?t exactly comforted by that. Ten minutes could be a long time if something went wrong. Draven had already proven to be more than a physical match for both Jon and her. If he got loose again she would be in major trouble. They were, however staying very quiet. That made Mandy even more nervous. She kept imagining the scenes in old horror movies where things were very quiet just long enough to get the victims to relax. Then the ax or chainsaw-wielding madman would smash through a window and kill the helpless schlub before he or she could react. Fortunately for her, she wasn?t in a third rate horror flick and both Draven and Jonathan remained quiet. A few minutes later she passed Will and Michael who made a quick u-turn and caught up with her in less than a minute. Her tension level dropped a notch once they fell in behind her. Everything remained quiet as the miles clicked by and she got within transmitting distance. All Med Runner transports were equipped with a communication link to Skyview but they were only affective once they got within five miles of the building. Any farther than that, and there was too much interference from cell phones, Wi-Fi hotspots, television and radio waves, and any number of other types of electromagnetic waves. She hit the send key and began transmitting all the data that she had acquired from Mr. Draven. She had used the back up equipment on Jonathan to keep tabs on him as well, but they weren?t on network so she couldn?t send anything on him. By the time she got to the doors of the MT wing, Dr. Stevens would have all the available information already in hand. He would have his staff briefed and ready for their patient or patients as the case may be. The knot that used to be her stomach started to loosen when she got within sight of Skyview. She only had a minute or two then her patients would be delivered to the best possible care in the country. The horror movie that had been playing in her head finally ended and she relaxed a little. Draven had other plans in mind as his alarm started shrilly screaming. ?OH Damn!? Mandy cursed. ?Just great, I?m in some sort of real life scary movie. Next thing the transport will stop and Freddy Voorhees will tear the door off and cut me to pieces,? she thought. She wasn?t going to stop being so close to Skyview. They?d could just stand up and start tap dancing for all she cared. She grabbed the radio and called the hospital. ?Sara! Draven?s spiking again. I?m less than a minute out so get ready.? ?We?re ready, Mandy, just get him here.? Mandy dropped the radio and concentrated on the road ahead of her. Draven worried her but Jonathan was scaring the crap out of her. His AS or Altered State readings were very weird. Normal AS readings tended to be waves with peaks and valleys. Jon?s looked more like waves with the peaks and valleys sheared flat. She could never remember seeing anything that even closely resembled his. ?What in the Hell is happening to him?? She thought as she pulled into MT?s emergency bay. The rear doors were pulled open milliseconds after she slid the big transport to a stop. Dr. Stevens? team was already getting to work. Two of the larger team members were securely removing the spiking and struggling Cole Draven. Jonathan remained eerily quiet. His AS reading remained strange but stable. He was moved to a room while the teams main attention was focused on Draven. The team was working frantically trying to stay ahead of Draven?s change. His metabolism was using up juice pouches as quickly as they could give them to him. He was proving to be quite a challenge for Dr. Stevens and his team. They were using every trick they had and were slowly beginning to win the battle. Cole began to come out of burndown and move to the recovery stage. They continued to monitor him but he was passed the worst part of the change. In a few days he would be completely rebuilt and ready to return to his life. Mandy had been splitting time between keeping an eye on Jonathan and checking on Cole?s progress. With Cole through the dangerous parts, Mandy turned her full attention to Jonathan. Dr. Stevens came to check on Jonathan and Mandy. ?Any changes?? he asked Mandy as he entered Jonathan?s room. ?He?s progressing,? she answered flatly. His rapid progression had her more worried than she?d admit. ?Have you ever seen anything like this?? Dr Stevens was going over Jon?s AS reading for the past hour, ?Yes and no,? he replied, ?I?ve seen patients progress at a frenetic pace and go from uninfected to burndown in days but not in hours. These AS reading concern me as well. These flat spots are sections of the brain that aren?t functioning at all. It?s like they?ve been disconnected. If they were consistent, I?d say he was losing brain function but the flat spots keep moving. After the flat spots pass through a section, that section becomes active again. There are some small changes also. Looking at these reading leads me to believe that his brain is being rewired and upgraded.? ?Is that a good thing?? ?I won?t be able to tell until he wakes up,? he said deciding it was better not to ?if he wakes up. The speed and amount of changes would normally indicate meltdown, but the changes seemed to be stable from the readings Dr. Stevens was seeing. Knowing what the little bug did to Draven, he could only speculate that Jon was going to be in for a rough night. ?He?s going to make it through this. I have a feeling he?s been through some rough stuff in his life and this will be just another step for him.? ?I think you?re right. If anyone could survive this, it would be Jon.? ?How?s Cole doing?? ?He?s doing good now. We had to use most of our juice pouches on him to get him that way but I think he?ll be just fine.? ?Uh, Robert, how long will it take to get some more juice ready?? ?I have someone bringing some up from storage. It?ll take about a half hour to get it prepped once it?s here, why?? ?Jon?s about to start burning down,? Mandy stated. She had been watching his AS monitor and noticed the tell tale secondary wave, which looks like a smaller wave in between two larger ones, start forming. Dr. Stevens was stunned. He hadn?t expected Jon to reach burndown until late the next day at the earliest. He was in for a long night and he knew it. He had a feeling that he would be rewriting the book on RV if Jon survived until the morning. ?This isn?t good, we don?t have enough juice to get him through a burndown right now.? ?Well, someone should let him know that because he starting. I hope you?ve got a few tricks left in that bag of yours.? ?We?re about to find out,? Robert said solemnly as he hit the alert button next to Jon?s bed. Less than thirty seconds later, nurses began filing in the door preparing to get to work. They all had worried looks on their faces. They all knew that they were dealing with an extremely atypical patient and anything may happen over the next few minutes to hours. There was also an underlying sense of excitement. Most of them had seen just about everything that RV could throw at them but this latest case was promising to give them all something new to talk about. Dr. Stevens? team was fully assembled less than three minutes after the alert was sent out. In that time Jonathan slipped into full burndown. His body had already started to consume any fat that he may have had on him and his weight was rapidly dropping. The IV that Jon had been given when he first arrived was proving to be inadequate so another was added. Even with both IVs working at their maximum, Jonathan was still losing weight rapidly. ?Do we have enough pouches for a third line?? Dr. Stevens asked one of his nurses. ?Yes, but not for long. With three lines and his consumption rate off the charts, I?d say we?d have about ten minutes worth,? the nurse answered. ?We don?t have much of a choice. Let?s just hope ten minutes is enough. Add another line,? he ordered knowing full well that it would take more than ten minutes for him get through burndown. ?Get those other bags prepped as quickly as possible.? The nurse?s estimate turned out to be a little optimistic and Jon was on his own a little less than eight minutes later. The additional pouches were still ten minutes away from being useable and metabolic inhibitors had little to no affect on his condition. Robert knew the odds weren?t good for him. With no outside support it was up to Jon?s body to fight the virus on it own. Being so thin was Jon?s worst enemy. If he had carried another fifty pounds, Dr. Stevens would be hopeful for getting him the nutrients and energy his body needed. There just wasn?t enough of Jon to sustain him until the pouches were ready. ?Mandy, it doesn?t look good for him. He only has a few minutes before he spikes. If Draven hadn?t used up so much juice, he?d have a fighting chance. I don?t have anything I can do. We?ve tried all variations of inhibitors but none of them have done any good. We could try icing him down but I don?t think that?s going to help. He?s progressed much too rapidly for that. I don?t think he?s going to make it.? She knew that the most likely outcome was Jonathan?s death but her heart still broke when she heard those words. ?So that?s it? Infected to death in hours. Robert, are we ever going to get control over RV?? she asked. ?Someday, I hope. We did create it so we should be able to find some way of dealing with it,? He answered. Jonathan?s body was struggling against the massive changes RV was trying to produce. He seemed to be losing the battle. His body had been reduced to its barest minimum. Almost all of his muscle had been lost leaving him looking like holocaust victim from World War II. ?He?ll probably spike at any moment. I feel so helpless. I know what I need to do to save him but I can?t do it.? ?Is it getting colder in here?? Sara, the head nurse, asked? Mandy hadn?t noticed but the room did seem to be a few degrees cooler. ?That?s weird. It usually gets warmer with so many people in here,? Robert commented. ?If that?s weird, check out his AS readings,? Mandy pointed out. ?What the Hell? It looks like he?s improving, but that?s impossible.? He couldn?t believe what he was seeing. After a full minute of watching the readings improve, Robert felt hope return. ?OK, it?s definitely getting cooler in here,? Sara stated. The only conclusion Dr. Stevens could think of was that the cooler temperatures were slowing Jonathan?s change. He decided to try and ice him down. That technique was usually the most affective either very early or very late in the change. It was similar to quenching hot metal during forging. They moved Jon to the cryo unit and began cooling him with a chilled water submersion. It did not have the desired affect. His body showed signs of severe stress and he was removed less than a minute later. ?Get him back to his room and get him warmed back up. Give me the AS readings from when he was improving and the ones from the submersion tank. Something strange is going on here but I can?t quite put my finger on it.? ?OK, Robert, what do we know?? Mandy asked trying to get his thoughts on track. ?He was infected by a spiking carrier giving him a turbocharged case of RV. That cranked his change rate up to stratospheric levels and made metabolic inhibitors useless. His condition worsened, as expected, due to lack of available enriched glucose. He showed some improvement when the temperature dropped in his room but was stressed when we tried to ice him.? ?What does that tell you?? ?It tells me he?s hyperactive and needs energy in a hurry.? ?Maybe we?re looking at this wrong, maybe the temperature drop wasn?t related?? Dr. Stevens thought about that few a few minutes. ?No, it was related just not how I originally thought,? Robert said in a classic eureka moment. ?You just figured it out didn?t you?? ?Maybe,? he said and picked up a near by phone. He punched the button for maintenance, ?Dave, this is Robert. I need you guys to bring up a few of those propane heaters.? Dave must have asked why he wanted heaters, ?You wouldn?t believe me if I told you and I need them yesterday,? Robert finished. He then retrieved a couple electric blankets from a storage cabinet and headed for Jonathan?s room. ?What are you up to, Robert? And what?s with the heaters?? Mandy asked as they arrived at Jon?s door. ?Just give me one minute and you?ll see,? he grinned. Mandy knew that grin. It was the same one she saw every time he cracked a tough case. ?Jon?s going to make it,? she thought to herself. She watched as Dr. Stevens plugged the blankets in and threw them over Jon. He had set both of them on their highest settings then stepped back to monitor the results. Nothing happened for the first minute or so. Robert just stood and waited. It was driving Mandy crazy. Patience wasn?t one of her strengths and the waiting in the dark was getting on her nerves. As the blankets slowly began to warm, Jonathan?s condition began to improve. ?Son of a bitch,? Mandy said in amazement, ?What is going on and how the Hell did you figure that out?? ?We assumed that the cooler temperatures were the catalyst improving Jon?s condition. That was obviously an incorrect assumption. You asked if maybe the temperature change was unrelated and I started thinking how else it could be connected. I vaguely remembered my physics class in high school talking about how an air conditioner works. When the liquid Freon changes states from a liquid to a gas it needs heat to do that. It pulls the available heat out of the surrounding environment giving us a cooling affect. I wondered if maybe Jonathan might be doing something similar. I didn?t think he was going to evaporate or anything like that but he may possibly be using the heat from the air to give him energy.? ?Do you mean like snakes and lizards do? That sounds pretty far out there,? Mandy replied skeptically. ?It?s even farther out there than you think. Reptiles use the heat from their environment but they don?t actively draw heat out of the air. Think of them as passive while Jon is active.? They both took a few moments to process Robert?s theory. Mandy didn?t really think it was possible but she couldn?t argue the results. Jon was improving with just the heating blankets. The temperature in the room had dropped a few more degrees as they were talking and it was beginning to fall faster. ?It?s starting to get cold in here. How far do you think it can fall before Jon starts having trouble?? ?I don?t know but I think we need to try and keep it as warm as possible,? Dr. Stevens said as he walked to the thermostat and switched it to maximum heat. There was an audible click then warm air started blowing from the air vents. The additional warmth seemed to trigger something in Jonathan and he began pulling a lot more heat out of the room. In less then a minute, Mandy and Robert could see their breath steaming in the cold room. Mandy was simultaneously amazed and frightened by what Jonathan was doing. She had seen plenty strange behaviors and situations arise from RV but Jon was off the scale in sheer magnitude of being able to affect the environment. She knew that there are cases where super abilities manifest themselves and was wondering if she was witnessing just such an event. The temperature continued dropping at an alarming rate as frost was beginning to coat the windows and various other surfaces. Robert was about to call maintenance and see what was taking them so long when Dave showed up lugging two very large propane-fueled heaters. ?Here you go Doc, all fueled up and ready to?? he trailed off as he walked into the room and saw what was going on. He just stood there looking around him in complete amazement. ?Well, I see why you need these,? he said after a few seconds. He had the heaters in place and running at their maximum in only a few minutes. The temperature began to slowly climb as the sheer amount of heat the two giant heaters filled the room. It took them a full ten minutes to return the room to a comfortable level. Dr. Steven noted that the warmer the temperature, the easier time Jon was having. He decided to get the room as warm as possible and see how Jon reacted. The temperature continued its slow climb. Jon?s three IV lines were finally replenished with the freshly prepared glucose solution. Jonathan?s condition continued to improve as the room got warmer. His AS readings began to change as the temperature approached ninety degrees. He was almost through burndown and would soon be in the rebuilding phase. Robert didn?t know how Jonathan would turn out but he knew it was going to be interesting. The temperature reached ninety-eight degrees and Jonathan began rebuilding. * Waking Up The worst part about passing out is the waking up afterwards. You have that weird few minutes of complete disorientation. You don?t know who, what, when, where, or why. That problem is made even worse when you wake up in a strange place. The unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells, just serve to push your stress levels up another notch or two. After a minute or two of complete confusion, Jonathan?s brain finally managed to begin reorganizing his thoughts into something just this side of coherent. He recognized the room he was in as a hospital room. The main lights were off and the only illumination was the soft greenish glow emitted by the blood pressure monitor next to his bed. His whole body ached. He felt like he had run a marathon, gotten hit by a bus then rolled down a long, steep, rocky hill. The slight throbbing tingling sensation in his hand reminded him of why he was there; he?d been bitten by a Series 3 carrier in the middle of a severe burndown. He knew enough about the Series 3 conditions to know he was in serious trouble. He wondered how much time he had until either his genetic code self-destructed or, if he was lucky, a change that didn?t leave him with a thirst for blood. Perhaps he had as little as a week or maybe as much as years. There was no way to tell. Dwelling on it would do nothing more than waste whatever time he had left. He felt like he had been given a death sentence but he didn?t know when that sentence was to be carried out. He needed to quit thinking like that, so he began to concentrate on his body. Once he got past the aches and pains he realized he felt different. He had this gentle tingly sensation running all over him. It was like there was a very low voltage current running through him. His hair had fallen over his face so he reached up to move it out of the way. He brushed past his chin feeling smooth soft skin. ?That?s weird,? he thought to himself, ?I didn?t shave this morning. I?m surprised I?m not scruffy yet.? At that point, he started checking the rest of him over. His face felt a little weird. It wasn?t like he remembered it. He couldn?t put his finger on what it was; he just knew it was different. The more he explored the more things that just didn?t seem right. His arms felt thin. He didn?t feel the usual amount of muscle there. ?There?s no way I?ve been through the change already. It?s only been a few hours since I was bitten. No one changes in less than a week. How long have I been out? What the Hell is going on here?? He kept exploring farther. His hands slowly slid down his body. He was afraid of what he might find. If he had already been through the change, he could wind up as anything. He would be as likely to find horns or scales, as he was to find himself unchanged. He made it to his chest and felt two soft fist sized mounds there. ?No freakin? way!? he exclaimed, but he could feel his hands pressing down on his new additions. There was little doubt about what he had. Somehow he had breasts! He quickly pulled himself to a seated position then the room began to spin and blackness closed in on him before he could find out more. Unconsciousness had claimed him once again. He didn?t know how long it was before he woke up again. The soft golden light filtering in the windows told him it was either early morning or late afternoon. Whether it was the next morning or evening he didn?t know. It could have been days later for that matter. He thought about waking up the first time as the last remaining wisps of fog quickly evaporated from his mind and clear thought returned. With better the light of day, He was able to see more of what had happened. He looked at his hands first and noted that they were smaller and more slender. His nails were a little longer and had an almost orangish red iridescence. His skin seemed softer, smoother, and more sensitive. He could feel the air swirl around his arms and hands as he moved them. The hair on his arms was much paler and thinner. His normal dark brown hair had been replaced by a pale pinkish red. He purposefully avoided looking at his body. He wasn?t sure if he had dreamed that part of things or not. He didn?t know if he was ready to deal with that issue just yet. With no mirrors or shiny surfaces near him, he couldn?t look at his face. He used his hands and tried to do a crude sort of Braille-like examination. Keeping congruent with his previous awakening, he noticed the lack of any facial stubble. It had been at least two full days since he had shaved last. That?s about the normal interval for him. He really was not a fan of facial hair and his skin is too sensitive to shave everyday. Every other day makes shaving bearable but every third day is best. Rarely does he let himself go any longer than that. He should have at least been able to feel something. The rest o