Author's note: Wow... A heck of a lot of stuff happens in this chapter oAo;;! And our dear villain shows up! It's funny how it's the 13th chapter that we finally get to know who he is, or says he is. Anyway, I can't really say too much about this without ruining it |DD I hope you all enjoy it <3 And I'd like to say thanks once again to
amideadn0w for sticking with this and reviewing and helping me out! It's been mega-awesome :3 Without any more note-stuff, HERE WE GO, GUYS.
Chapter 13: Coercion
Despite the fuss of that particular day, the next week or so passed with relative calm. Nicole spent a lot of her time hanging out with Markus and the others outside of the hospital, though she did spend time with Isabella and Cynthia as well. Perhaps less so with Isabella, due to the teasing. She didn’t always feel like putting up with it, although Isabella was nice otherwise.
But she felt like she could call them her friends anyway - she got on with them, and she didn’t quite feel as awkward as she had near the beginning. It was nice having people to hang around with and talk to like she had back at Greenwood. Today was a good example - she had said hi to Markus and Valerie, managing not to get too embarrassed, thank goodness, and then had headed off to the research department after a brief talk with them.
Nicole didn’t even know why she was in such a good mood today. She just supposed it was one of those things. The research department was less busy than usual, which was a change, but they still had plenty of work to do. Even when they weren’t as busy, they still had a lot to finish up.
And then Cynthia went over to her and handed over a note. Nicole stared at the paper. Another one from those odd people...
X3 is completed. The third sin is nearly ready to be unleashed upon the world. And we’re ready to collect the pieces required for our puzzle. Beware, sinners. Your end draws ever closer.
“When did you get this?” Nicole asked, looking up at her.
“This morning, it was handed in to us by someone from the surgical department. We can only assume that the ‘third sin’ they’re referring to is the third strain of the virus... which means the reason that they haven’t done anything yet is because they’ve been working on developing it. Dr. Cromwell’s already seen it, and I thought it was important you and the others saw it too.”
“Thanks, Cynthia...”
“No problem.”
What a weird note. And when they said “collect the pieces”... It gave her an uncomfortable feeling. She shook herself back to reality, earning a strange look from Cynthia, and handed back the note. “There you go.”
“See you later.”
Her eyes returned to the report as she heard Cynthia’s heels click along the floor. Better to concentrate on this kind of thing than some weirdo’s cryptic message game. The note was also a hot topic of discussion elsewhere in the hospital.
“I can’t believe this.” Lesley sighed, her hand in her short black hair. “What kind of creep would be dedicated enough to write all these letters to us, and make up all this stuff?”
“I don’t know...” Elena answered truthfully. “I just hope that whoever they are, they aren’t going to hurt anyone.”
“Considering the whole SIN business, plus these letters, it seems really unlikely.” Lesley said, shrugging. “You worry way too much though, Elena. Nothing’s happened just yet, and besides, if we managed to take down not only Stigma, but GUILT as well, I think we can handle one loser’s attempt at the new common cold!”
Elena had to laugh at that. Lesley was always so confident - different from her own sometimes nervous attitude. “I think it’s a bit more serious than that, Lesley!”
“Yeah, yeah, says you! Besides, if we don’t keep looking at the bright side, how are we going to cope? Speaking of the bright side... Did you say anything yet?”
“N-No... I was too embarrassed...”
“Oh, Elena!” A sigh of frustration from the other woman. “You are SO hopeless!”
“I can’t help it! And he might have noticed.”
Lesley gave her a look. “Elena, are we even talking about the same person here? Markus is not exactly the brightest when it comes to that kind of thing. Oh sure, he could reel you off a list of major arteries in the body no problem, but when it comes to emotional situations he’s got all the sensitivity of a boulder.”
“Yes, I know...” Elena replied, sighing. “I just...”
“Yeah, whatever. I’m not going to stop hounding you until you say something though, got it?” Lesley grinned, trying her best to sound stern though she was on the verge of laughter.
“I know! I wouldn’t dream of arguing with you! Next time!”
“There won’t be a next time after that one, got it?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The morning’s first few operations went smoothly enough, except from the lingering awkwardness Elena was feeling, but as soon as she got back into the rhythm of assisting she managed to block it out. Most of the procedures were just normal surgeries, with the occasional Socordia tossed in for good measure.
“I’d almost be glad if they did come up with a third one, Socordia’s pretty dull.” Markus joked, earning a look from Valerie.
“Yeah, you wouldn’t be saying that if it did happen, Markus!” she said. “Actually, knowing you, maybe you would. Considering the way you handled Onyx that time, it wouldn’t surprise me too much.”
“It was just a lame joke, seriously, you know that. And besides, Onyx really wasn’t that bad once we knew how to find the real one thanks to Elena.”
“It was just looking carefully at them, otherwise I wouldn’t have spotted it at all.” Elena replied.
“You did well in there though, Val. And so did you, Elena.”
“Yeah, it’s no big deal.” Valerie replied. “We just work well together, I guess that’s it.”
“Thank you, Dr. Vaughn.”
“No problem.” Markus said. “Hey, Elena. Who’s the next patient?”
“26 year old John McGinley. I think he’s suffering from aneurysms in his large intestine... So we’ve been scheduled to treat him. It’s in Operating Room 5, which is on this floor.”
“No problem. Let’s go.”
In the operating theatre, once everything was set up, Elena began the briefing. “Okay. As I said, the patient is a 26 year old male, John McGinley. He was sent here recently and assigned to us. His vitals are relatively high and stable, so we shouldn’t have too much trouble.”
“Thanks, Elena.” Valerie replied. “Let’s go for it.”
With the incision made, they could already tell things weren’t looking great. There were a few normal-sized aneurysms, and the rest were larger ones.
“So that’s why you brought the synthetic veins, huh?” Markus said casually.
“Well, I was worried in case there WERE larger aneurysms in his intestine.” Elena replied, embarrassed. “I’m just glad I did bring them.”
“Good thing at least one of us thinks ahead here.” Valerie commented.
“Yeah, otherwise we really would be in trouble.”
Handling the larger aneurysms first made their work a lot easier, and even suturing the synthetic veins into place felt like a relief. Aneurysms were tricky to work on, even with the sedative they had - that stopped the aneurysms from expanding more, but they were still a ticking time bomb. The smaller ones weren’t so bad, despite the fact that they expanded quicker than their larger cousins. Despite the appearance of a second set of aneurysms the group managed to finish the operation relatively fast.
Valerie sutured their incision carefully, and then bandaged it. “I’m glad that’s over. It was kind of tense.” When she was finished, she turned to Markus. “Now are you regretting asking for something more difficult?”
“This isn’t SIN-related, Val, so it doesn’t count.”
“You’re pretty picky, aren’t you?”
“I’m just saying.”
When they returned to the surgical department, a discussion was going on about the latest message that had arrived at Caduceus.
“I was right, or at least, I believe so.” Valerie heard Dr. Tsuji say in a somewhat triumphant tone. “They obviously are planning something.”
“Yeah, it does seem that way, doesn’t it...” another doctor muttered, shaking his head.
“And that’s the problem. We know they’re planning something, but we don’t know when they’re going to go ahead with this nonsense! And they’ve even so much as said that their third virus is ready!”
“Calm down, Kanae.”
Opinions went back and forth as to whether they should actually do something or just leave it, who could be behind it, and other such things, until a lot of them got bored and wandered away, or just simply had to head off to perform surgeries.
“All these notes are causing a lot of fuss, huh?” Valerie mumbled.
“Yeah, and for good reason. Whoever’s writing them must have a lot of time on their hands to send them here and write so weirdly.” Markus replied.
“Seems like it.”
And then it was back to surgery for them too. This time their first patient had a case of mature Avaritia, which wasn’t too bad. The second was another aneurysm patient, and the others were just a mixture of various conditions. It was very tense at times, especially as some of the patients weren’t very stable or had low vitals, but working together the trio managed to cure them.
The three of them spent most of the time rushing between operating rooms and working, which meant they couldn’t keep an accurate record of what time it actually was. However, when they were finally done it was early evening. Some people from the departments were starting to leave, and Markus and Valerie set off to read the report and do paperwork, respectively.
When he opened the folder again he was relieved to note that he’d gotten further than he’d thought. Sure, there was still a fair amount to be read, but it was less than had been expected, which was a relief. In the end, all Markus could do was concentrate and keep going. Valerie, meanwhile, was working away on all the forms they had to fill in and the information that had to be provided on the patients.
Finally, they had finished their work, and they headed out with Elena. By this time, everyone had gone, except the research department, who were being kept late that evening. The night had properly settled now, and it was almost starless outside.
“You guys want to stop somewhere quickly? We didn’t get a chance for a break today.” Markus commented as they walked.
“Markus, your mind is always on your stomach!” Valerie teased. “I wouldn’t mind though.”
“All right, let’s go then.”
The three of them walked across the car park, and then along a side street that Markus assured them was a faster way to where they were headed. Valerie scoffed at that, but didn’t say anything.
“Well, hello there you three.” said a voice from the darkness. It was hard to see the person clearly - all that they could make out was that he had light hair and light coloured eyes.
“Who are you?” Elena asked nervously, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.
“That’s not important. Now come with me. I don’t want to have to use force.”
“What do you want from us?” Markus asked. “Are you the person who sent that note?”
“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. Now are you coming?” A click. “Because if you’re not... I might have to apply a little pressure. And don’t even think of going back for help, because I’ll pull this trigger so quick you won’t have time to regret.”
“We’ll come.” Valerie said, earning confused looks from Elena and Markus. “We don’t have a choice.”
“You’re clever.” the voice said with taunting approval. “Now follow me.”
The three of them followed the voice through the darkness and the winding street, until they ended up in front of a large car. “Don’t struggle, you’ll make life much harder for me.”
“Like we want to help!” Markus began, before he felt a sharp nip in his shoulder. The guy had anaesthesia pens...? Of course... It would make sense that they’d come prepared besides the gun... That was fast-acting stuff... And then he crashed to his knees, practically unconscious.
“Markus! Are you okay?”
“Dr. Vaughn!”
He tried his best to make some kind of noise that indicated he was fine as the mystery person helped him to his shaky legs and shoved him into the back of the car. By then he was struggling to stay awake. Elena... Valerie... Just like last time. When Elena joined him in the back, with Valerie shortly after, he was out like a light.
“There. Won’t the boss be pleased?”
“Yeah. Mission accomplished. Now let’s go. We’d better not hang around for any longer than we need to.”
“I agree. Good thing we didn’t have to use the gun. He would’ve been so angry at us.”
The engine started up, and the car disappeared into the shadows. The journey was a mostly silent one, with the occasional bump or two as they travelled, but the passengers were so deeply unconscious that it didn’t make a difference. The two in the front, William and Sam, talked cheerfully away the whole time - a light chatter over the rumble of the engine.
They stopped eventually, in front of a large grand building, and got out of the car.
“Here at last. You know where to take them, right?”
“Of course. You’d better help me though, I can’t carry three people.”
“We’ll take the women in first, and then I’ll help you with the guy. Let’s be quick, we don’t know how long that anaesthesia’s gonna last.”
“Right.”
Once that was done, they immediately headed to the boss’s room.
“Sir, we have what you requested.” William said to the closed door.
“Oh? Wonderful!” the boss’s voice replied in a light tone.
“They’re not conscious yet, though, so we have to wait until they wake before you can greet our guests.”
“I understand. You two are doing wonderfully. You may go.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Elena was the first to wake up out of all of them. At first, her head was swimming and she couldn’t focus on anything. What was she leaning against? Where was she...? She tilted her head up slightly, and realised she was leaning against Markus. He seemed to still be unconscious, as did Valerie on the other side.
The room they were in was cold and grey, with a heavy locked door on one side. The rest of the things in it just seemed to be junk - a large painting on one wall showed a grey-haired old man wearing a fancy outfit, his dull yellowish eyes filled with irritation as he scowled, some scraps of cloth, and an operating table in the corner.
She sighed deeply. How did they end up like this? Captured again... She almost wanted to scream, despite knowing that would make no difference to the situation. And here she was, with her two best friends. That was the only thing that made her feel safe. Elena shifted again so she wasn’t lying against Markus any more. He’d be a bit weirded out if he woke up and saw her like that.
Valerie groaned and stretched. Luckily, they weren’t tied up. Obviously whoever had taken them here hadn’t thought of them as much of a threat. “Elena? You awake?”
“Yes, I’m awake...”
“I thought I heard you move.” she said, giving Elena a friendly smile. “Are you okay?”
“A bit tired. But I’ll recover. What about you, Dr. Blaylock?” Elena replied.
“Pretty much the same.” Valerie fidgeted a bit. “Obviously, Markus is still out like a light.”
“It looks like it...”
A moment of complete silence passed between them.
“Dr. Blaylock?”
“Mm?”
“I hope we get out of here. And that no-one else gets taken.” Elena muttered, staring at her feet.
“We’ll be fine.” Valerie reassured her. “We did it once, we can do it again.”
Markus sat up between them and rubbed his eyes. “God... What the hell happened...? How long have we been out for?”
“I don’t know. I remember feeling the car bump along the road, and it was quiet for a long time after that - there was only the car engine. So we must be pretty far away just now.” Elena said thoughtfully.
“Damn.” was Markus’s only reply. “Not again.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Valerie cut in. “Whatever these nutcases have planned, it’s nothing to do with us as people.”
“I suppose so.”
“We’ve got each other, right?” Elena said encouragingly. “That’s the main thing.”
“Yeah. I don’t know what I’d do without you two.”
That comment made Elena go pink. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that. We’ll stick with you, right Dr. Blaylock?”
“Of course.”
And then the heavy door swung open and a man entered. His hazel eyes glinted with amusement behind his glasses, and some of his brown hair hung in his face. The odd grey and blue coat he was wearing seemed too big for him, as he walked towards them and stopped a short distance away.
“I’m sorry I had to interrupt such a touching moment. Just wanted to make sure my precious helpers were in good condition.”
“That’s what you kidnapped us for?” Valerie nearly yelled at him.
“Don’t be so rude. After all, if you were to go missing permanently...” the man started as he closed the distance and bent down in front of Valerie as if talking to a child. “...The only ones who would know would be me and my associates.”
“You think that threat’s going to stop me?” Valerie growled.
“You think messing with me is going to only hurt the three of you? Oh no. Of course I’ll reduce your food rations, and you might end up getting a few bumps and bruises from my men. But there are others at stake too.” He straightened up. “Your friends at Caduceus, for example.”
“If you hurt any of them - !”
“But don’t worry. You won’t be lonely.” the man continued as if he hadn’t heard Valerie talk at all. “I’ll bring you three a little friend. And I’m sure the four of you will get on quite well - you already seem to anyway.”
“Don’t involve anyone else in this.” Markus said softly. “If you’ve got a problem with us, then deal with us.”
“I just want to get in contact with someone I haven’t seen recently. Is that so bad? I bet she misses me too.” As if forgetting some small detail, the man looked thoughtful. “And besides, if some newbie goes missing that won’t be so bad, will it?”
“You... You wouldn’t...” Markus replied. “Don’t you dare involve anyone else in this! Especially someone who has nothing to do with this in the first place!”
“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? Pleased to meet you.” he stuck his hand out in a handshake gesture. “I’m Dr. Angus.”
Markus stared at him, completely disbelieving. Elena and Valerie were also stunned.
“Sleep well, doctors. It’s been a pleasure.” Dr. Angus smiled before turning and leaving the room, the door slamming with a crushing finality.
“How did your visit go, sir?” William smirked.
“Quite well, I believe. Though I might have surprised them a little.” He shrugged. “Oh well, I can keep playing with them a bit longer. After all, they don’t know what I’m doing. And tomorrow they’re going to help me.”
“Then I should get X3 ready?”
“Yes.”
“Right away, sir.”
Inside the room, the trio heard the footsteps fade away down the corridor.
“Maybe he was just trying to get us riled up, Markus.” Valerie suggested. “Honestly... And you said I fell for these things easily. How do you even know he is who he says he is? He could just be playing a game with us.” She tried her best to keep her tone light.
“Yeah... You’re right, Val. I shouldn’t let these things get to me. After all, remember what happened on Miracle Surgery?” He grinned, but there was no feeling behind it. “Let’s just go back to sleep... There’s nothing we can do. Goodnight Elena, goodnight Val.”
“Night, Markus.” Valerie replied, closing her eyes. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she was tired.
“Goodnight, Dr. Vaughn.”
“Goodnight.”
Despite that, Markus spent a large part of the night awake. Nervous. Were they really going to kidnap more people from Caduceus? And Nicole... She was going to be worried about them, and more than likely heartbroken if this guy was who he’d said. He really didn’t want her involved. This experience had been bad enough for him and Valerie and Elena the first time, but they could likely cope with a second. She might not be able to.
He kept worrying about the whole scenario until, eventually, he was so tired he fell asleep.
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