Edward dreamed. The scenery was slightly blurred but it seemed to contain fields and trees. In the middle distance was a woman, holding her arms out to him. She was tall and slender with dark hair that reached to her shoulders. She called to him, pleading. "Edward! Help me!". Behind her was a man dressed in a white robe who seemed to be surrounded by a faint glow of light. He looked serene but there was a sad smile on his face. The woman appeared to be oblivious of him. She called to Edward again, then screamed and vanished. Edward awoke startled, half rising from the bed. When he realised where he was he dropped back onto his pillows and rubbed a hand across tired eyes. This was the seventh night in a row that he'd had this dream. Each time it left him feeling restless and agitated and he'd been unable to go back to sleep. This time wasn't going to be any different. He got up wearily and went to make some coffee. The clock in the kitchen read 3am; it was going to be a long night.

Daniel looked up as Edward entered the room. He frowned as he saw the signs of fatigue. "Edward, not getting enough sleep?" he asked.
Edward shook his head. "Been having some strange dreams lately." he replied.
"What sort of dreams?" asked Kim.
"I keep dreaming about some woman who needs my help.  I don't understand it." Edward said.
"Is it becoming a problem?" asked Daniel.
"Don't worry Cassian, it won't affect my performance." said Edward somewhat belligerently. The fatigue was making him irritable.
"Edward, please." said Daniel with a pained expression on his face. "I'm only trying to help."
"You can help by telling us why you called us here." stated Edward.
Daniel sighed in irritation. "It seems our help has been requested, by the Ministry of Health in England." he said.
"England?" asked Kim, astonished.
"Yes." said Daniel. "England. It seems they're having a problem with an unidentified chemical agent. The source is unknown, as is the carrier. They have over five hundred cases in one town, and the death toll so far is fifty. The town has been cordoned off by the army and placed under quarantine. We have been asked to assist the local authorities in finding a solution." He looked around the room. "We leave this afternoon."

As they were leaving the lab, Michael  caught up to Edward. "Do you want to talk about it?"  he asked.
"I haven't slept much this past week. These dreams are really disturbing." said Edward.
"You say there's a woman in them?" asked Michael.
"Yeah." said Edward. "There's a man too, dressed all in white. Come to think of it, he looks rather like a saint."
"A saint?" asked Michael. "Did you know the town we're going to is called St. Neots?"
Edward stopped dead in his tracks. "St Neots!"  he said incredulously. "No, I had no idea."
"I want to know everything about these dreams." said Michael. "And I want to be kept informed of any you have from now on."
"Sure." said Edward, as a feeling of apprehension ran through him. What did all this mean?

The team arrived at Heathrow in the early hours of the following morning. They were bundled into cars and driven straight to the quarantined town. They arrived as dawn tinged the sky red and were shown to a facility set up inside the town. An exhausted and jetlagged Edward was sent to bed with orders to take sleeping tablets. Not long after that everyone else did the same.  That night Edward's sleep was deep and dreamless.

In the afternoon they all gathered in a lab set up on the first floor of a warehouse. It was one of three buildings around the town's market square that had been taken over by the medical teams. The ground floor of the building they were in and the other two buildings had been converted into makeshift hospitals. Michael made coffee while the three doctors wandered around the lab, looking at the equipment.  While they were all occupied, Morgan silently entered the room. She looked forward to meeting the people she had heard so much about.
"Gentlemen, Dr. Shiroma." she said. "I hope you had a good trip. I've brought all the technical data that we have managed to gather so far."
Edward turned from examining some equipment and stopped dead, almost dropping the mug of coffee he was holding. Morgan was the woman in his dreams. He shot a quick look at Michael who rose and came to him. "What's wrong?" Michael asked quietly.
"She's the one I've been dreaming about." said Edward.
"You sure?" asked Michael.
"Positive." said Edward. "Michael, I've got a bad feeling about this."
Michael put a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Why don't we go over and see what she has to say." he said.

Morgan punched up some data on a computer screen. "As you can see, this is the chemical agent. It's completely new and unknown and it's effects are devastating.  It produces high fever and hallucinations, leading on to convulsions and fits. Then it starts to attack the internal organs, causing failure and finally disintegration. The host eventually dies from massive internal trauma.
The attacks seem to be completely random, there doesn't appear to be any common denominator." she sighed. "We are at a complete loss as to how to proceed. That's why I recommended you people. You have had experience of this sort of thing before."
"Have any threats been received by the Government?" asked Daniel.
"Not as yet. No." replied Morgan.
"Have any of these people received any particular type of treatment?" asked Edward.
"Not so far as we have been able to determine." said Morgan.
"Have they had any strange visitors, any one person that's been to all of them." asked Michael.
"I have no idea." said Morgan. "I'll ask the police to check, but it's going to take some time."
"I'll help co-ordinate the search." said Michael.
"In the meantime we can start analysing this chemical and finding a cure." said Daniel.

The team got down to work, co-ordinating their efforts with the English teams. The chemical they were working on was very sophisticated and complex, trying to break it down into its component parts was a nightmare. By early evening they had made very little progress and their frustrations were heightened by the news that another ten patients had died. While the teams took a short break Morgan took Edward for a tour around the makeshift hospital.  He stopped and talked to people, encouraging them, giving them something to believe in. Morgan marvelled at his warmth and calm assuredness, the gentle kindness with which he handled everyone especially the children. Even the nurses and doctors seemed to take strength from him.  It radiated from him, a pool of calm that seemed to follow him down the wards. It was only at the end of the tour, when she looked in his eyes that she saw what a terrible price it had cost him. There was agony and an infinite depth of sadness as though he had taken their pain and made it his own. It shocked her.
"Edward, are you all right?" she asked, placing a hand on his arm in concern.
He smiled sadly. "I'm fine, really. It just pains me to see man's inhumanity to man. Especially when it involves kids."
"I know what you mean." Morgan replied. "I wish there was a way to stop it." She paused thoughtfully, then looked up at him. "Would you like to get some dinner? There's a nice restaurant a few miles up the road."
"Sure, that would be great. I just need to go back to the hotel to freshen up." he said.
"Why don't I meet you in the lobby in ten minutes?" asked Morgan.
"I'll be waiting." said Edward.

Morgan drove Edward to a town about ten miles north of St. Neots.  The restaurant she had in mind was a place called The Mill. It was an old watermill that had been converted and it was situated in beautiful parkland just outside the town of Huntingdon. The interior was tastefully decorated with dark wood and there were several glass panels in the floor that showed the river flowing by underneath. They chose a table near to a window with a view of the river and the parkland beyond. In the centre of the river was a figurine of a man fishing, which appeared remarkably life-like.
"This is a beautiful place." said Edward. "You could almost believe you were in another world."
"I thought it would be a nice break from the sterile environment of the lab." said Morgan. She signalled a waiter over and they both gave their orders. "How long have you been a member of the bio-crisis team?" she asked when they had ordered.
"I've been with the team for several years now." replied Edward. "Before that I used to work for an epidemiology team. What about you? How long have you headed the British team?" he asked.
"This is my first assignment. I worked freelance previously." Morgan replied. She smiled sardonically. "They certainly know how to throw you in at the deep-end, don't they?"
Edward smiled back. "That's the best way isn't it?"
"Is this how it always happens?" asked Morgan.
 "Sure is. No information, very little time, what more could you want?" asked Edward, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"A stiff brandy" replied Morgan. They both laughed.
"It feels good to get away from it all." said Edward.
"How did you get into it?" asked Morgan. "If you don't mind my asking that is."
"Not at all." said Edward. He proceeded to tell her about the path that had led him to this point. She listened quietly, awed by the tragedy and the mystery surrounding Edward's life. When he was done she laid a gentle hand on his and spoke.
"That is the most amazing thing I've ever heard." she said. "After everything you've been through you're still willing to give so much. How do you do it?"
Edward looked down at the table, very much aware of her hand. "There are people in this world that need my help." he said. "How can I turn my back on them?"
Morgan squeezed his hand. "You can't. None of us can. It's a part of who we are and the reason we're all in this. For better or for worse." she said. Edward looked up at her and smiled.

That night Edward dreamed again. This time a wall of fire sprang up around Morgan. She looked desperately to Edward for help but every time he tried to reach her, the fire drove him back. Suddenly the fire moved, closing in on her. She screamed as it reached her, there was a blinding flash of light and then she and the fire vanished. Edward awoke, sitting bolt upright and yelling "No!". He was trembling and breathing heavily, badly shaken by the nightmare. He glanced at the clock; it read 1 am. He sighed in frustration - there would be no more sleep tonight. He got up and got dressed, if he wasn't going to sleep he might as well work. He left the hotel quietly and went across to the makeshift hospital.

Early the next morning Michael caught up with Edward in the lab. "You're looking tired." he said. "More dreams?"
"Yeah. And they're getting worse." Edward replied, then told Michael what had happened.
"I can only assume this means that she is in danger." said Michael when Edward had finished. "I'm going to assign her a body guard and you too."
"Just how are we going to explain this. We can't very well tell people  I had a bad dream." said Edward.
Michael smiled. "I'm sure we'll think of something." he said.

Later that morning Morgan was telling her assistant, Elayne, all about Edward. Elayne  was quite taken with him as were many of the other women in the lab. They had fallen for Daniel too. Neither of the two men were aware of the devastating effect they were having on the women of the British team. Michael noticed though and he couldn't help but smile. Morgan only told Elayne those things she thought Edward wouldn't mind her saying. Some things she kept to herself. Elayne was over the moon, especially when Morgan assigned her to work with Edward.

Just down the road, Michael was standing in a building called the Priory Centre which had been converted into a temporary HQ. He was with a man named Samuel Ward, who was a chief inspector at Scotland Yard. They had gotten together the previous day and set up teams of officers to visit the families of each of the victims and to interview their neighbours, in an effort to try and find anything that might lead them to the cause of the outbreak. Nothing had been turned up so far. "We've covered about half of those infected." said Ward to Michael. "So far nothing. I don't hold out much hope that the other half will be any different."
"I'm sure something will come of this." said Michael. Almost as if his words were a cue, a young police officer burst into the room they were using to co-ordinate the search.
"Sir, I think you should see this!" he said excitedly.
"Calm down, Jenkins. What have you got?" asked Ward.
Jenkins handed him a piece of paper. On it were the words 'May have something' and an address. Ward looked at Michael. "Looks like you may have been right." he said. "Let's go." He lead the way out to a waiting car and they sped off to the address named on the paper. A senior officer was waiting for them.
"This way sir.  We have a Mr Brown who remembers someone delivering what he calls an 'official looking letter'.  When his wife opened it though, it was no more than some sales flyer." said the officer as he lead the way inside. They passed through a hallway and into a sitting room. On a couch next to a window was a man in his middle years with slightly greying hair and very sad eyes. Opposite him was an officer making notes in a small pad. Both looked up as Ward and Michael entered, followed by the senior officer whose name was Bolden.
"Mr Brown, I am Chief Inspector Ward from Scotland Yard and this is Mr Michael Hailey, a special consultant from the United States." said Ward. "If you don't mind we'd like to ask you some questions."
Brown indicated that they should be seated. "By all means, if it will help catch the people that did this." he said.
"I realise that you've probably said all this before, but can you tell us what happened?" asked Michael.
"A man came up to the house, delivering these letters. They looked very official and had some type of stamp on them, almost as if they'd come from the council or the tax office. My wife opened the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. It was just some sales flyer. She tore it up and threw it away." Brown looked down, sadly. "Not long after that she became ill."
"Do you still have that letter in the garbage or would it have been collected?" asked Ward.
"It was collected yesterday I'm afraid." said Brown.
"Can you remember whether this man delivered to anyone else in this area?" asked Michael.
"He delivered a similar letter to a house about five doors down. I don't think he went anywhere else, just walked off." said Brown. "Come to think of it, two people in that house have since become ill, too."
Michael and Ward looked at each other - finally a breakthrough. "Can you remember if there was anything unusual about this man?" asked Michael. "Anything we could identify him by."
"No. There was nothing remarkable about him at all. Almost the opposite in fact. He was so non-descript as to be inconspicuous." said Brown.
"Whatever you can remember will be helpful." said  Ward.
While Brown gave a description of the man  to the officer making notes, Michael spoke quietly to Ward. "He's obviously using official looking stationery to make sure people open the letters."
"We need to issue a warning of some kind." said Ward.
"Agreed. Unfortunately this may lead him to try something else." said Michael.
"We'll just have to be prepared for anything that comes." said Ward.
"Let's just hope he doesn't hit the water supply." said Michael. He glanced at Brown. "I don't have anymore questions for Mr. Brown right now. I'll come back later if I need to."
"We may as well get back in that case." said Ward. He turned to Brown. "Thank you Mr. Brown, you've been a great help."

That was the first of several that came in that day. A general description of the man was broadcast along with a warning not to accept anything without getting it checked by one of the teams of scientists. Michael knew this would tip the man's hand but there was no help for it. The population had to be warned.

That evening it was Daniel's turn to go out for dinner. One of the senior doctors, a lady by the name of Heather Mackenzie, invited Daniel out to one of the local pubs, just outside of the town. Outside it looked like an ordinary building, but inside it was all oak beams and brass ornaments. They took a table at the far end of the room, near a window. The pubs' cat, a sleek looking tabby, took quite a liking to Daniel and decided to spend the evening on his lap. Daniel laughed as the cat settled down and began to purr noisily. "This is wonderful." he said, looking at Heather. "I should do this more often."
"So you should." replied Heather, a pretty woman with shoulder length auburn hair and sparkling green eyes. "You work yourself too hard." she said speaking with a soft Scottish accent.
"Unfortunately in my job I have no choice. Too many people could die otherwise." Daniel replied sombrely.
"Do you think we can find a way to counteract this chemical?" asked Heather.
"I'm certain of it." replied Daniel. "There are a lot of very talented people working on this. Between us we can come up with something. Now," he said smiling, "What do you want to drink?"

On the other side of town a similar event was happening. Michael, Edward, Kim and Morgan had all gathered in a pub for a drink and a meal. Morgan had brought her dog, a big rangy wolfhound,  along and he now lay stretched out along the side of the table. "So." said Morgan, "What do you guys do in your free time?"
"Kim makes kites." said Edward.
"Really?" said Morgan. "What kind of kites?"
"Chinese kites." said Kim
"You should see them, they're really beautiful." said Edward.
"Thank you." said Kim with a pleased smile.
"I can imagine." said Morgan. "What about the two of you?" she asked, directing her question to the two men.
"I just relax and listen to music." said Michael.
"I do some things around the house." said Edward. "I spend so much time out of it, there's always something needs doing when I get back."
"Thought you spent all your time on that heap you call a car?" asked Michael with a smile.
"That's no heap, it's a classic." said Edward a mock frown on his face.
Morgan laughed. "That's what they all say. It's only a classic if it's ready for the junk heap."
"Believe  me, this one  was ready a long time ago." said Michael.
"Philistines." said Edward good naturedly. The others laughed.
"I believe it's your turn to get the drinks." said Michael to Edward.
"Here you go making nasty comments about my car and expect me to buy the drinks too."said Edward. He collected up the glasses and headed off to the bar, a hard done by expression on his face.

Next morning Daniel walked into the lab and called his team to him. "We've finally had a ransom demand. It was phoned through to the police early this morning. Unfortunately it was completely untraceable. The caller wants 10 million pounds placed in a Swiss bank account by midnight tomorrow or he's going to release the chemical into the water." Daniel looked at the others. "We have to find a cure for this thing before then."
"We're getting closer to a breakthrough" said Edward, "but I don't know if it will be in time."
"It's going to have to be." said Daniel. "Michael, how are you coming with your investigation?"
"We've got a few leads we're chasing down, including a possible sighting. I should know more later this morning." replied Michael.
"Keep me informed of your progress. That's all for now." said Daniel. While Michael headed out to talk with Ward, the three doctors went back to working on the samples.

Later that morning, when Edward stopped for coffee, he noticed that Elayne was looking unwell. "What's wrong?" he asked approaching her.
"Oh, it's nothing." she replied. "Just feeling a little warm. Guess I need some fresh air."
Edward felt her forehead, it was hot. "You're running a fever. I think you've been infected." he said.
"No! That can't be." said Elayne desperately. "How could this happen?"
"Other than the members of the team, has anyone given you anything? Especially when you weren't wearing gloves?" asked Edward.
"No. There's been nothing like that, I've been careful." Elayne paused and raised a hand to her head. "Edward, I feel...." That was as far as she got before she collapsed. Edward caught her as she went down.
"Morgan, Daniel!" he called. "I need some help."
Morgan came hurrying over along with Daniel and Kim. "What's happened?" asked Daniel.
"Elayne's been infected. I need to get her down to the hospital." said Edward.
"Right." said Daniel. "You and Morgan get her down there." He turned to Kim as they  left. "Kim, you and I are going to talk to the others. See if we can find out how this happened."

They talked to everyone, scientists and lab workers alike, but no-one remembered anything. Then began an exhaustive search which eventually turned up minute traces of the chemical in Elayne's coffee mug. While Kim and Heather Mackenzie started work on the new samples, Daniel tried to head off panic amongst the team. Everyone had been badly frightened by the incident, especially at the thought that it could just as easily have been one of them. He talked quietly and at length, eventually easing the fears of all concerned. While he talked, Michael slipped quietly into the room and stood by the door waiting for him to finish. When he was done he joined Michael by the door.
"Have you found anything?" he asked.
"Nothing." said Michael. "Our man obviously has someone working on the inside. I've got Ward running checks on everyone, hopefully he'll turn up something."
"What security arrangements have you made?" asked Daniel.
"I've brought in the army to patrol the labs and hospitals and I've assigned security to everyone. No-one goes anywhere without a guard." said Michael.
"Good." said Daniel. "Let me know if anything turns up."
"Right." said Michael.

Elayne lay propped up on pillows looking extremely pale, her face streaked with tears. Morgan sat next to her, holding her hand and trying to console her. "It's going to be all right, Elayne. We're very close to finding a cure for this thing. Before you know it you'll be back on your feet and giving the lads some grief." she said, squeezing Elayne's hand.
"Why me Morgan?" asked Elayne. "What have I done that was so wrong that God has abandoned me?"
"He hasn't abandoned you Elayne. Everything in life has a purpose, however unjust it may seem at the time. I'm sure there's a reason for this, just as I'm sure He is here with you." Morgan said. She hesitated a moment then reached up and undid the chain around her neck. "I want you to have this." she said,placing a silver cross in Elayne's hands. "My father gave it to me before he passed away."
"I can't take this!" said Elayne, astonished.
"Yes you can." said Morgan. "It would mean a great deal to me."
"Thank you." said Elayne. "Thank you very much."
Morgan smiled and squeezed her hand again. "I'm going to have to go, but I'll be back to see you later. Try to get some rest." she said. She got up and walked down the hospital to where Edward was talking with some of the doctors. He turned to her as she approached.
"How is she?" he asked.
"She's scared and frankly so am I." said Morgan. "How could they get so close to us without us even noticing?"
"I don't know but Michael and Daniel will find out." said Edward. A chill of foreboding ran down his spine as he looked at Morgan. He hesitated, unsure whether to tell her about his dreams.
Morgan, seeing the uncertainty asked, "What's wrong?"
"You and I need to talk." said Edward, coming to a decision. He took Morgan to one side, where he was reasonably sure they wouldn't be overheard. "For the past two weeks I've been having these dreams. About you." he said and then proceeded to tell her about them. Morgan remained silent throughout, only speaking when he had finished.
"So that's why I've got a bodyguard." she said. "If those dreams are true, then why wasn't I the one to get infected?"
"I don't know." said Edward uncomfortably. "Maybe something else is going to happen. I want you to be careful, I've got a really bad feeling about this."
"I will, thank you." said Morgan, troubled by his words.

That afternoon, Morgan found a note on her desk, apparently from Edward. It read: 'I want you and Kim to meet me at the back of the hospital, I have something to show you.'. Morgan looked up thoughtfully, searching for Edward but he was not there. She took the note to Kim and showed her. "What do you think?" she asked.
"I don't know." said Kim. "It looks like Edward's writing so maybe it's genuine, but I think we ought to test it all the same." She took the note from Morgan and ran it through a few tests, getting a negative result. "There are no traces of the chemical so it could be from Edward."
"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?" asked Morgan.
"We ought to tell Daniel. Do you know where he is?" asked Kim.
"He was called out about a half hour ago. We should be safe enough with the two bodyguards we've been assigned." said Morgan.
"All right." said Kim. "Let's go see what he wants."
They left the lab and made their way down to the back of the hospital. It led out onto a deserted alleyway. To their left was a dead-end, to their right after about two hundred yards, the road curved out of site around a bend. There was no sign of  Edward. While one guard stayed with the two women, the other investigated up the alley. Suddenly he staggered and collapsed. The other guard started to usher the two women back into the building but it was too late. Behind them at the entrance were five men, all levelling guns in their direction. The guard, knowing he was outnumbered, threw his gun down. One of the men spoke quietly into a commlink and a few minutes later a white van came around the corner and drew up close by. The two women and the guard were ushered into the van which drove quietly away from the scene. Not a word was spoken by anyone. Other than the one brief message, everything had been conducted in absolute silence.

Edward walked into the lab looking for Kim and Morgan. He had some test results he needed to discuss but the two women were nowhere to be found. None of the other team members could remember having seen them leave. On his way through the lab talking to people, Edward spotted a letter with his name on it propped up against a glass beaker on a bench.  Using a pair of tweezers he carefully extracted the single sheet of paper that was inside. It read: 'I have Dr.s Shiroma and de Cameron. If you want to see them alive again you will stop all work on  the Doomsday chemical.' A chill went through him as he stood reading the words.  He looked up from the paper, straight into the eyes of Michael who had just walked through the door. On seeing the look on Edward's face, Michael came quickly across the lab.
"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked. Edward wordlessly showed him the note. "Where did you find this?" Michael asked after he had read it.
"It was propped up on the bench." said Edward. "What do you think?"
"I think  we need to do a search first to determine if this is genuine." said Michael. "Have you tested it for the chemical?"
"No, I haven't." said Edward.
"Why don't you do that while I organise the search." said Michael, placing a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll find them."
Edward looked at him and nodded. "I know you will." he said.

Adams, the security guard that had been assigned to Kim, prowled around the room where the three of them had been confined. It was a small storeroom in a warehouse somewhere on the other side of town.  In the centre of the room Morgan and Kim watched him while they talked quietly. "I'm sure the others will find us before long." said Kim.
"I hope you're right." said Morgan. "I can't help thinking about Edward's dreams.  I have a feeling something terrible is going to happen."
"Try not to think about it too much." said Kim. "We'll be out of here before you know it." She tried to sound reassuring, but didn't quite make it. All she could think of was that time she had been kidnapped. She had never really spoken of it to anyone, suppressing the memories instead. Now however, they were coming back to haunt her.
Morgan heard the slight waver in Kim's voice and noticed she was looking a little tense. "Are you ok?" she asked.
Kim smiled briefly. "I'm fine. Guess I just don't like warehouses." she said. To change the subject she asked, "You're quite fond of Edward, aren't you?"
Morgan smiled, blushing slightly. "Yes, I am." she replied. "And if  I'm not mistaken, so are you."
Kim was momentarily speechless. She had never considered her feelings towards Edward since she had gotten over being angry with him for Alan's death. Now she realised that Morgan was right, she was genuinely fond of him. "I never really thought of it before, but I guess you're right." she said.
"I can see by the way you work together." said Morgan. "He has a great deal of respect for you. There almost seems to be a bond between you."
"In a way there is." said Kim. "Edward is my last link to my fiancee Allen, who died from Ebola. It has brought us together in a way I can't explain. It's not love, but it's something more than friendship."
"I think I understand." said Morgan. She was about to go on but was interrupted by the sound of someone unlocking the door. Adams joined the two women just as a man entered the room, followed by three armed guards. The man was a medium height and build with with short black hair and piercing blue eyes. He strode purposefully into the room and spoke.
"Ladies. We'll try to make your stay here as comfortable as possible, at least as far as the facilities allow. Please don't try to escape," he said glancing at Adams, "or do anything stupid. If you behave yourselves and don't give us any trouble, no-one will come to any harm. Try anything and I warn you, the consequences will be dire."
"Who are you and why are you doing this?" asked Kim.
"Who I am doesn't matter. As for why I'm doing this - I don't want anything getting in the way of my plans." he replied.
"Insurance?" asked Morgan. "Or were we getting too close to a cure?"
The man, whose name was Stone, looked at Morgan. She took an involuntary step backwards from the ice cold menace in his eyes.  Adams moved up beside Morgan and Stone turned those eyes on him. He almost seemed to be challenging Adams to try something.  They stood for long moments staring each other down, until one of the guards spoke. "We've got to go boss."
Stone broke eye contact with Adams, flicking his gaze across the two women. "Remember what I said." he said before turning on his heel and stalking out the room. All three let out a collective sigh of relief after he'd gone.
"That is a very unpleasant man." said Morgan with a shiver.
"And very dangerous." added Adams.

  Edward, Daniel and Michael stood together at one end of the lab, talking quietly. "What have you found?" asked Daniel.
"I found Jacob's body in the alley at the back of the building. He'd been shot by somebody on a rooftop." said Michael. "We found a tyre track close to the back entrance and several sets of footprints. My guess is that Kim, Morgan and the remaining guard were captured and taken away by van. I've people out looking and talking to anybody who might have seen something."
 "Are we any closer to finding out who the inside man is?" asked Daniel.
"So far, everyone has checked out." replied Michael. "All we can do is keep a check on everybody's movements. See if anyone is contacted."
"Edward, how are you coming along with a cure?" asked Daniel, turning to Edward.
"I think we're close to a break-through." replied Edward.
"Do you think you could continue on your own?" asked Daniel.
"If I have to." replied Edward. "What have you got in mind?"
"I'm going to send everyone home and seal the lab." said Daniel. "I want you to keep on working on the Doomsday chemical, develop a cure as fast as you can. Michael, no-one is to enter this lab except the three of us."
"I'll see to it." said Michael.
"I'll set everything in place." said Edward.

Edward worked throughout the rest of the afternoon and on into the evening, stopping only for the occasional cup of coffee. At about 8pm Daniel brought him something to eat then the two of them continued on into the night. By the time dawn tinged the sky red, they were almost done. The break-through came just as Michael came in with breakfast.
"Daniel, look at this." said Edward  enthusiastically.
"What is it?" asked Daniel, peering down the microscope that Edward had just vacated.
"I think we've got it." said Edward. "This new formula breaks up the Doomsday chemical in minutes."
Daniel looked up and smiled tiredly. "Good work. Now all we've got to do is test it."
"How are you going to do that without letting our man know what you've been doing?" asked Michael.
"That's a chance we'll have to take." said Daniel. "We've got to know if this works."
"What about Kim and Morgan?" asked Edward.
"Edward, there are hundreds of lives at stake here." said Daniel. "I can't justify doing nothing for the sake of three people, whoever they may be."
Edward knew he was right, but he didn't like it. He had a premonition of danger that had been growing steadily all night. There had to be a way around this, but he couldn't see what it was. In frustration he took a coffee and went and sat down, leaving the other two to work out details. Before long he fell asleep.

It was a beautiful day, with clear blue skies and a slight breeze. Edward walked down an avenue of tall trees, the sound of rustling leaves all around him. He walked for what seemed a long time, before a soft voice called his name. It came from behind him. He turned around and there was Morgan, standing serenely with a smile on her face. She came to him and the smile hardened, her eyes accusatory. "You couldn't do as you were told could you?." she said. "Now I've paid the price."  She held her hands out to him and he saw that they were covered with burns. As he watched the burns slowly travelled up her arms until they disappeared under the sleeves of her dress. The dress, a pale blue, slowly darkened until it was jet black. Still she stood, arms held out to him, a hard cold smile on her face and eyes like chips of ice. Edward stepped back from her, his emotions in turmoil. Fear and confusion warred with anguish as he looked at Morgan. Suddenly the sound of a train whistle broke the silence, startling them both. The whistle sounded again and as Edward turned, a train thundered past not three hundred yards from where they stood. Clearly marked on its side was a golden lynx.
As Edward watched, he heard a scream. He swung round in time to see Morgan held tight in the arms of a figure wearing a black robe with the hood drawn up over its face. It looked up, straight at Edward and a sibilant hiss issued from the depths of the hood. "Now she dies." Edward lunged forward but they both vanished abruptly.

"Morgan!" Edward yelled, starting awake suddenly. Daniel and Michael rushed to his side.
"What is it? What happened?" asked Michael.
"He's going to kill her!" Edward said a little hysterically, still disoriented by the dream.
"Calm down and tell us what happened." said Daniel.
Edward finally focused on where he was and brought his emotions under control. Shakily at first, but getting steadier as he went on, he told the others about his dream. When he was finished Michael said, "You know, this town does have a train station. It might be worth investigating."
"All right but don't take any risks." said Daniel. "Edward, I want you to stay here with me. You and I need to work on this formula."
Edward was torn between a desire to go and the need to stay. Finally responsibility outweighed personal desire and he gave Daniel a brief nod of acknowledgement. Michael, realising how hard this was on him, laid a hand on his shoulder. "If there's any way to get them out, we'll do it." he said. "I'll call in if I find something."
"Do that." said Daniel. 

On the other side of town, Kim and Morgan were waking up after an uncomfortable night spent sleeping on boxes. "How are the two of you feeling?" asked Adams, who had spent the night watching over the two women.
"I could use a hot bath." said Morgan, trying to rub the kinks out of her back.
"And me." said Kim. "I didn't know cardboard boxes could be so uncomfortable."
Adams smiled and was just about to reply when there was a sound at the door. All three turned to face the door just as it was unlocked and opened. Stone stalked menacingly into the room followed by five of his men. He stood for a moment looking at his three captives then pointed at Morgan. "That one." he said.
Adams made to move in front of Morgan but one of the toughs blocked his way, waving a gun in front of his face.  Another moved round behind and jabbed a gun barrel into his kidneys. He knew he had no choice but to stand still.  Another tough menaced Kim, while the remaining two moved in on Morgan. She backed off until she was brought up short by a box. The two men moved in quickly, grabbing an arm each. Morgan fought like a wildcat, but the men held on eventually stopping her by twisting an arm up behind her back. Then they frog-marched her out of the room, Stone and the other men following. The door slammed and locked and the sudden silence was finally broken when Kim said in a small voice, "Morgan." She and Adams looked at each other and then looked back to the door. Hardened as he was, even Adams was shocked by the suddenness of the whole episode and the casual brutality displayed by Stone and his men.

Michael moved his men into position. They were on the far side of the railway station, down near the coal depot. Ward had recommended going in that way to avoid being seen by anyone at the station or in the warehouse beyond. There was a lot of open ground around the buildings which would be tricky to cross so Michael had decided on a two pronged attack. One group of men would go along the hedge which lined the road going past the station, while the other would approach along the track bed using the platforms for cover. It was with this second group that Michael had placed himself.  They made rapid progress down the line and quickly drew level with the station. Michael sent a man up over the platform to investigate the building. He reported back that the building was empty and that the coast to the warehouse appeared to be clear. He was just  about to rejoin his team when he spotted movement in the deep shadows at the side of the building. "Hailey." he said softly into his mic.
"Hailey here. What is it?" asked Michael.
"There's a guard, about two hundred yards ahead of you hidden in the shadows." said the agent, a man by the name of Reynolds.
"Can you take him out?" asked Michael.
"No problem." said Reynolds.  He hadn't taken his eyes off the man since seeing  him move so it was an easy matter to line his sights up on him. There was a small cough as he fired the silenced rifle and his target slowly toppled to the ground. Reynolds stayed still for several long moments, waiting to see if anyone had noticed before giving the all clear.
As Michael neared the warehouse, he risked a small look above the platform. He gave a sudden start at what he saw. There in front of the building was a black lorry and marked clearly on its side was a golden lynx. He smiled briefly and shook his head.
"What's wrong?" asked one of his men.
"Nothing." replied Michael. "Nothing at all."

Inside the warehouse, Morgan was dragged into an office near the storeroom. It contained a desk and two chairs and there were obvious signs of it having been lived in. Stone, who had gone in ahead, turned to confront her. "I warned your people not to continue working on the Doomsday chemical, but they refused to listen. Now they're going to learn I don't play games." He reached down to a small box on top of the desk and removed a hypodermic syringe. Morgan stood transfixed by it, her insides turned to ice. Almost in slow motion she watched Stone approach, the hypodermic held lightly in his hand. She finally tore her gaze of the syringe and looked him in the face. His smile was cold and hard and his eyes were like twin pools of ice totally devoid of any compassion.
Morgan shivered and leaned back into the guards holding her. "Please." she said. "Don't do this."
"It's too late." Stone said coldly. "I need to make an example and since Dr. Marcase seems to hold you in some regard, I chose you." He nodded to the guard on Morgan's left who pushed up the sleeve of her shirt, exposing her forearm.
"No!" she cried out, struggling but the guard held her firmly. Just as Stone was about to inject her, shots rang out from outside the warehouse.

Michael brought his team into position at the back of the warehouse. Just as he was about to give the order to move in, someone discovered the dead guard. The cry went up and a shot rang out as those in the warehouse spotted the team by the road. As the two groups exchanged shots, Michael led his team up to the doors facing onto the platform. A small explosive charge took care of the lock and then they were in. Inside everything was in chaos. The other team, having rushed the warehouse, were now inside and the fighting was fierce. Michael sent half his team to help round up the gang, while he took the remainder and headed for the storeroom where earlier surveillance with infra-red detectors had shown the captives to be.

Everyone in the office looked out into the warehouse as they heard the shots, varying expressions on their faces. Morgan's face lit up with hope, while the guards looked worried, but Stone's face went dark with rage. He looked so fierce even his men stepped back from him. "This changes nothing." he snarled, grabbing Morgan's arm and injecting the contents of the syringe into it. "This dose is double the strength." he told her. "You have less than 48 hours to live." He threw the syringe onto the desk and turned to his men. "Let's get out of here." The three men moved quickly out the door leaving a distraught Morgan in the office. Already she could feel the effects of the chemical. She started to move to the door but was overcome with dizziness and within moments had passed out.

Michael and his men made their way up the side of the warehouse, eventually coming to an office. Michael was just about to pass by when he saw  the body of a woman lying on the floor. He went in dreading what he would find, not sure who it was. It was only when he turned her over that he saw that it was Morgan. She was still alive but was running a fever and her pulse was erratic. He detailed two of his men to get her to the hospital along with the syringe which a quick search had turned up. Then he continued on to the storeroom. They encountered some of the fiercest of the fighting just outside the storeroom and there was a long exchange of fire before it was finally over. While what was left of the gang surrendered, Michael went inside and found Kim and Adams alive and unharmed.
"Michael." said Kim, relieved. "It's good to see you."
"It's good to see you too." said Michael giving her a hug. "Are you all right."
"I'm fine." replied Kim. "Have you seen Morgan? They took her out of here just before you arrived."
"We found her in an office close by here." said Michael. "I'm afraid she's in a bad way. It looks like they injected her with the chemical. Can you tell me what happened?"
Adams gave Michael all the details, including a description of Stone. When he finished he asked, "Will Dr. de Cameron be all right?"
"Edward and Daniel have found a cure but they don't know if it will work yet." said Michael. Only then did he remember Edward's dream. He looked away from Kim and Adams, a muscle twitching along his jaw. He knew it was irrational, but he felt that he had let Edward down somehow by not being in time to save Morgan.
Kim, seeing the hurt, put a gentle hand on his arm. "Michael, what's wrong?" she asked.
"It's nothing." said Michael, unwilling to talk about it. "I've sent Morgan to the hospital. I'll get a couple of my men to take you there while we finish up here."
"If you're sure you're all right." said Kim.
"I'm fine, really." said Michael. He waited until she had gone, then turned to Adams. "I want you to show me who the leader is." he said. 

Edward banged the table in frustration. "It's not working." he said angrily. "What have we missed?"
"I don't know." said Daniel, pinching the bridge of his nose. He'd been looking down a microscope for so long he was going cross-eyed. "Something must happen to it when it enters the body."
"We've tried blood cultures. It works every time." said Edward.
"So whatever it is, it isn't in the blood." said Daniel. "This is getting us nowhere. It could be any one of a hundred different things."
"I'm going down to the hospital." said Edward. "I need time to think."
"I'll join you." said Daniel. "We could both use the break."

The two men walked down to the hospital, lost in their own thoughts. It was just as they got there that Morgan was brought in. While Daniel talked to Michael's men, Edward saw to Morgan. She opened her eyes just as he got her settled into a bed. "Edward." she said softly.
"I'm here, Morgan." he replied sitting on the edge of the bed and taking her hands in his.
"Looks like you were right." she said.
Edward clenched his jaw unable to speak for a moment, his emotions in turmoil. "What happened?" he asked finally.
Morgan told him, her voice breaking as she remembered the scene in the office. By the end of it she was in tears, Edward holding her as she cried. They stayed that way for long moments, until Morgan had calmed down enough to ask, "Have you found a cure? He seemed pretty certain that you had."
"We have," Edward admitted reluctantly, "but it only works in a test tube. We're still trying to find out why."
Morgan smiled bravely. "You've come this far, it will only be a matter of time before you find the right solution." she said
"Time is something we don't have." said Edward with tears in his eyes.
"You'll find what you need, just have faith." said Morgan laying back down. All the talking and the raw emotion  had exhausted her.
"I will." said Edward softly. His heart ached for her, but he respected and admired the bravery she was showing in the face of almost certain death. "Try to get some rest." he said, standing up. "I'll come and look in on you later."
"I'll be here." she said, her eyes closing as sleep overwhelmed her. Edward stood looking down at her for a moment then turned and headed back for the lab.

Adams swore under his breath. He'd gone through all the gang members alive and dead and there wasn't any sign of Stone. Somehow he'd managed to escape.  He looked around the warehouse and spotted Michael talking to some of his men. He wandered over and waited till Michael had finished. "What have you got to report?" asked Michael  after sending his men about their business.
"Bad news I'm afraid." said Adams. "Stone is nowhere to be found." They had learned Stone's name from interrogating one of the gang.
"Damn!" swore Michael. He took out his phone and quickly dialled Daniel's number.
"Cassian." came the reply a few minutes later.
"Daniel, it's Michael. We have the gang but the leader is loose, he could be heading your way." said Michael.
"I'll alert security." said Daniel.
"The man your looking for is about six foot four in height, with short dark hair and blue eyes." said Michael. "His name is Stone."
"Right. Let me know if you find anything else." said Daniel and closed the call.
"Adams, take some men and head out for the hospital. Try and pick up Stone before he gets there." said Michael.
"On my way." said Adams, suiting actions to words.

Edward looked thoughtfully after Daniel as he walked out the door. He'd just been told that Stone was in all likelihood heading in their direction and that he might be the next target. Well that was fine, as he had a score to settle anyway.  He went back to peering down a microscope but the feeling of imminent danger that he'd had all morning was growing and it made him restless. He sighed in frustration and went to make himself some coffee. As he was pouring he felt a sharp prickling sensation between his shoulder blades. He swung round to face the door and there was Stone, standing casually by the door and holding a gun on him. "Quite a nasty little chemical, wouldn't you agree, Doctor?" Stone said.
"We've cracked it." snapped Edward, suddenly furious. All the anger and frustration came crowding to the fore and the only thing stopping him from attacking Stone was the gun.
"It doesn't work though, does it?" Stone said smugly. "Doomsday attaches itself to an enzyme once it's in the body. Break the enzyme and your formula will work."
"I'll keep it in mind." said Edward. He started moving forward, his anger finally getting the better of his caution.
"Stay were you are, Doctor. I won't hesitate to use this." warned Stone, indicating the gun.
"Go ahead." said Edward angrily.
Stone quickly realised that here was someone he couldn't intimidate. So he pulled the trigger.

Daniel walked around the hospital checking on security. Since he'd got the word from Michael he'd virtually trebled the amount of men in and around the hospital. There were armed guards everywhere, so it ought to be impossible for Stone to get in and yet he had the feeling that he'd missed something. He needed Michael, but he hadn't returned from the warehouse yet. Daniel strode down a passage towards the back of the hospital when his attention was caught by the sight of ventilation ducts running above his head. He stopped and looked at them for a long moment before he realised what was bothering him. He spun on his heel and ran for the lab, picking up armed men as he went. He made it onto the upper floor just as a shot rang out. It sounded like it had come from the lab. His men deployed along the passage and one of them tried the lab door. It was locked. They looked to him for the ok to break down the door but he shook his head no. He thought for a moment then took out his phone and dialled Edward's number.

Edward was thrown backwards as something burning hot hit him in the shoulder. He hit the bench scattering beakers and test tubes everywhere. "Give me any trouble and I'll shoot you again." said Stone coldly. "Now get over there and sit down." he said, indicating the chairs at the side of the room. Shocked and in pain, Edward could only do as he was told. He picked up a pair of scissors on the way across and used them to cut up the lab coat he was wearing to make bandages. While he was doing that, Stone barricaded the door, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before someone investigated the shot. When he had finished he crossed to where Edward was sitting and lounged against the wall watching him make a rough bandage for his shoulder. "It's time you people learned I don't play games."  he said.
Edward looked up at him, his eyes still smouldering with anger. "You won't get away with this." he said
"I already have." said Stone. "You didn't think I was in this for the money did you? I only made the demand because it was expected."
"Then why are you doing this?" asked Edward.
"Revenge, why else?"asked Stone. "The Government terminated my project during a vital experiment and killed my brother. All they could say was 'sorry'. Well now I'm making them pay."
"By killing innocent people?" asked Edward.
"Yes." said Stone. He was about to continue when he was interrupted by Edward's phone ringing. He picked it up and answered. "Stone." he said.
"Mr Stone, my name is Daniel Cassian. I am the head of the crisis team." Daniel said on the other end of the phone.
"I know who you are Cassian." said Stone. "What do you want?"
"I want to know what that shooting was." said Daniel, schooling himself to patience. Stone's peremptory tone irritated him.
"I shot Marcase." said Stone bluntly. "He's alive, but how long he stays that way depends upon you. Do anything other than what you're told and I'll shoot him again."
"I want to talk to him." said Daniel, chilled by the cold ruthlessness in Stone's voice.
"Make it short." said Stone and handed the phone to Edward.
"Daniel." said Edward.
"Edward, how badly are you hurt?" asked Daniel.
"He shot me in the shoulder." said Edward. He was starting to go hot and cold and knew he was sliding into shock. "Daniel, the chemical combines with an enzyme...." he began but was cut off by the roar of a shot. He flinched and felt the bullet pass close to him. Stone snatched the phone out of his hand and closed off the call.
"Very clever." he snarled.  "I meant what I said Marcase.  Next time I'll shoot you."

Daniel started as he heard the sound of the second shot. "Edward! Edward!" he said urgently as the line went dead. He redialled the number but Stone had switched the phone off.  Swearing in frustration, he called Michael.
"Hailey." Michael responded.
"Michael, we have a situation. I need you at the lab stat." said Daniel.
"On my way." said Michael.
At that moment Kim arrived on the scene. "I heard the shots. What's going on?" she asked.
"Edward's being held by Stone in the main lab. He's been shot at least once." said Daniel.
"How did he get in here?" Kim asked with a feeling of dread.
"He came in through the ventilation shafts." replied Daniel. "Kim, there's something I need you to do." he went on, changing the subject. "The Doomsday chemical binds itself to an enzyme when it enters the body. I want you to find a way to break down the enzyme so that the formula we created will work."
"All right." she said. She looked away from Daniel to the lab door, then looked back again. "You'll let me know if anything happens?" she asked.
"Sure." said Daniel, hoping fervently that nothing would.

Michael made his way quickly up to the lab. He'd had reports of gunshots, but no-one he'd spoken to seemed to know what was happening. He took in the scene in the corridor and went over to where Daniel was pacing at one end. "What's the situation?" he asked.
"Stone has Edward." said Daniel. He told Michael what had happened. "I can't get through on the phone, it's been switched off." he said.
"We need some detection gear up here." said Michael. "Once we know where they are, we can go from there." He called one of his men over and made the necessary arrangements.  Within minutes the gear had arrived. Michael did a sweep of the room which was L-shaped; it showed Edward and Stone together at the far end of the long side.  "We could rush the door, but if he's as smart as I think he is he'll have it barricaded." said Michael. "If I remember correctly there's a ventilation shaft leading into the smaller section of the lab. We should be able to get a team in that way, but I'll need to look at the plans for the building first." He made to go but before he had taken more than a few steps, Daniel's phone rang.
Daniel motioned for Michael to stay as he answered the phone. "Cassian."
"This is Stone. You have one hour to bring a helicopter to the top of this building. For every hour after that you delay, Marcase gets shot." Stone said matter-of-factly and closed off the call before an astounded Daniel could reply.  Daniel slowly lowered the phone and looked at Michael, a mix of emotions playing across his face.
"What did he say?" asked Michael.
"We have one hour to acquire a helicopter." said Daniel. "Any delay and he starts shooting."
"That doesn't give us much time." said Michael. "We'd better get moving." He turned and headed downstairs at a run, Daniel close behind.

While Daniel organised a helicopter, Michael drew up a plan for the raid on the lab. Using the helicopter as a distraction, the team would enter the lab through the ventilation shafts and take down Stone. Michael knew that it wouldn't be as easy as it sounded, Stone was too smart. It took most of the hour to set things up, but eventually they were ready. Michael took his team into the shafts where they manoeuvred themselves into position ready for the arrival of the helicopter.

Stone stood by the ventilation shaft, listening.  The hour that he'd given was almost up and he knew that once the helicopter arrived, they would start trying to take him down. As this was the only way in, it was logical that the first attempt would be from here. A small sound caught his attention causing him to smile. This was going exactly as he had hoped. He moved back into the larger section of the lab and was greeted by a baleful glare from Edward. Stone had tied his hands behind his back and secured  him to the chair to keep him out of mischief. "It's time, Marcase." He said, releasing Edward from the chair.

The sound of the helicopter, slightly muffled in the confines of the vents, was Michael's cue to move. The team exited the vent into the lab and spread out, careful not to show themselves. Michael moved quietly up to the corner and glanced around. Stone was waiting for him. "Come out Mr Hailey, I've been expecting you." Stone said. He was standing in the centre of the lab with Edward kneeling in front of him, a gun held to his head. Michael swore under his breath. He'd known this wasn't going to be easy. He brought his men out into the lab, all with their guns pointing at Stone. "Kill me and Marcase dies with me." said Stone. "I want everyone out except you Hailey. Now." he said menacingly.
"Do as he says." said Michael to his men, not taking eyes off Stone. While they took down the barricade on the door, he glanced briefly at Edward. Edward was looking pale and tired and the strain on his shoulder from having his hands bound was telling. "Why don't you let Marcase go and take me instead?" Michael asked.
"Dr Marcase will do just fine." said Stone. "What I want you to do is clear a way for me to the roof."
Michael could see nothing for it but to do as Stone said. He backed to the door, keeping his gun on Stone and waited while Stone hauled Edward roughly to his feet. Keeping a tight grip on Edward's collar, Stone transferred the gun to Edward's chest before pushing him in the direction of the door. Michael backed out into the corridor, clearing his men away from the stairs. Stone followed using Edward as a shield. He moved along the wall to the stairs and backed into them, Michael and his men following. Edward was tiring fast and he found the climb extremely difficult, especially as he didn't have his hands to support him as he climbed backwards up the stairs. After what seemed an eternity, they reached the roof and Stone slowly made his way to the waiting helicopter. When they were about half way, Edward caught and held Michael's eyes with his own. He gave a brief nod and when Michael did the same he lurched backwards into Stone, pushing him off balance. Stone staggered and moved away from Edward, exposing himself to Michael. It was just what Michael had been waiting for. He squeezed off a shot and saw Stone jerk backwards, releasing Edward. The gun in Stone's hand went off, but the bullet passed harmlessly into the air. Michael shot Stone again and this time the man went down, the gun flying from his hand to land several feet away. Everyone stood for long moments looking at Stone's body unable to believe it was finally over. Eventually Michael went over to Edward and cut his hands free. "Let's get you down to the hospital." he said.

Kim looked up from the microscope to the door. Worry for Edward was making concentration difficult. The silence had been broken by movement and voices a short while ago, but now it had all gone quiet again. She had just made up her mind to go and investigate when the door opened and Daniel walked in. "How are you doing?" he asked her.
"I'm almost there." She replied. "What's happening?"
"Stone is dead, Michael killed him as he tried to make his way to the helicopter." said Daniel. "Edward is all right. He's resting in the hospital."
Kim let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God that's over." she said.
"Indeed." said Daniel. "One other piece of news. Stone's inside man has given himself up to the police. He was one of the lab technicians, which is how he was able to get so close to us."
"There's one thing I don't understand." said Kim. "Why poison Elayne? What did he hope to gain by it?"
"It was a warning shot." replied Daniel. "We were close to finding a cure and he needed to distract us. When it didn't work he kidnapped you and Morgan."
"How is she?" asked Kim.
"Much worse." said Daniel. "How long do you think you'll need?"
"Another half an hour should do it." replied Kim.
"I'll leave you to it." said Daniel with a tired smile. "If you need me I'll be down in the hospital."
"Thank you." said Kim, smiling in return.

Edward and Morgan walked arm in arm down the banks of the town's Riverside Park. It was late afternoon, a week after Stone's death and this was the first time Morgan had been allowed beyond the confines of the hospital. They stopped near the main bridge into the town and watched some swans gliding serenely past.  "I'm glad it's finally all over." said Morgan. "For a while there I was afraid I wasn't going to make it."
"So was I." said Edward. "But thanks to Kim, you did make it."
"And thanks to you, getting that message out the way you did." said Morgan. "It could have cost you your life."
"It was something that had to be done." said Edward suddenly abashed. He'd never felt guilty about risking his life before and it made him feel uncomfortable. "I'm just glad it worked." he said.
"So am I." said Morgan. They started walking again, each absorbed in their own thoughts and memories, the silence growing between them. It was Morgan who finally broke it. "You know, I wish you didn't have go." she said.
"Unfortunately, there's no longer a need for us to stay." said Edward. "With Stone dead and almost everyone back on their feet, our job here is done."
"How long before you go?" asked Morgan.
"Our plane leaves tomorrow night." said Edward.
"Then you can have dinner with me tonight." said Morgan with a smile. "I'll cook you a traditional English supper."
Edward laughed. "I'd love that." he said. "Thank you."
"The pleasure's all mine." said Morgan.