Peter still hadn’t said a word.
Pain watched him gaze at Elena while the others bustled around Dave, even as her own mind refused to believe what she was seeing.
“What happened?” she heard Doc’s voice.
“The Commandos… We were in my car,” Dave started in a lifeless voice, only to fall silent.
Doc let out a hiss as he grabbed Dave’s wrist and touched his forehead. “He’s burning up, Peter. I…” He turned to look at his boss. “I don’t know what to do with this!” He spoke through his teeth, his voice hushed, as if he could keep it from Dave. As if Dave even cared.
At last, Peter unfroze from his spot and moved to them. His broad back blocked Pain’s view.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered. “Just deal with the fever for now, don’t give him anything else. I have to make a call.”
Doc stared as Peter strode out of the infirmary with his cell phone in hand.
“What?” Doc snapped. “Peter!” He cursed and ran to the nurses’ room, while Chad took his place in front of Dave.
“No-no, you stay awake.” Chad gripped Dave by the neck, crouching down to look him in the eyes. “Tell me what happened.” He slapped Dave’s cheek, and Dave’s eyes fluttered open, but he still looked more exhausted by the minute.
Someone grabbed Pain’s forearm, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. “How the hell is this possible?” Jane hissed in her ear.
“I don’t know,” the words tumbled out of their own accord. Her brain was too absorbed in what was going on.
Pain took a step back and perched on Chris’s bed. Chris, who had just come out of a coma and was supposed to be resting.
“We stopped to pick up the camera,” she heard Dave whisper. “They were in the back seat when I got back. I don’t understand how. I came around, and Elena…” He broke off in a sob, then took a deep breath and continued after a moment. “There was a woman giving orders. They called her Victoria.”
Doc appeared next to them, a syringe in his hand. “Okay, back off.”
He made Dave lie down, and as soon as Dave’s head touched the pillow, his eyes closed again.
Tiffany was close on Doc’s heels, carrying a number of bottles in her hands. The blonde shot them all a scowl but didn’t get a chance to say anything, because Peter came back, still talking on the phone.
“Yes, I know. No, I’m not demented, I know how long it’s been.” His growl rattled Pain’s bones. He turned away, lowering his voice. “…I would not be calling you. Just speak with the doctor, that’s all I’m asking.” He went still, fingers fisted in his graying hair, before saying, “Thank you.” He handed the phone to Doc, whispering, “Careful.”
Doc glared at him. “You knew this was possible?” he hissed, bringing the phone to his ear. “Hello? Yes, I’m the doctor. Yes. History of cardiovascular disease?” Doc looked at Chad, who shrugged and shook his head. “He’s twenty-four, fit, healthy… A stab wound a few months ago, nothing serious.”
Doc’s voice was drowned out by their hushed argument.
“You knew about this?” Pain locked gazes with Peter.
“Yes, I knew,” he snapped. “What do you want me to say?”
“Some heads-up would’ve been nice!”
Peter glowered at her. “Here’s your heads-up: Some people have succeeded in turning humans into us. The result is totally uncontrollable and unpredictable. Dave here can die of heart failure any moment. You happy?”
“No, I’m not happy. I just—”
Chad interrupted her, his face ashen, “Heart failure?”
Peter turned to him. “Yes, but that’s all I know. We just have to watch him and help him make it through. He’s young, he’s strong—if anyone can survive this, it’s him.”
“And then what? He’ll be like… us?” Chad forced the word out.
Peter let out a shaky breath, his eyes on Dave. “No,” he whispered. “Not quite.”
Is this what the Commandos are after? Pain thought. Peter avoided her gaze.
Behind him, Tiffany was hooking Dave up to some machine as Doc quietly instructed her, still holding the phone to his ear.
“He’s passed out,” Jane noted. Chad hurried to Dave’s bed, unaware of Tiffany’s cold stare.
“It’s just the fatigue. Please, step back,” the nurse said.
He stumbled backward, darting Pain a frantic look over his shoulder. She moved to pull him back to Jane and Chris. They grabbed a few chairs and sat down.
“All right, thanks again. Have a good night,” Doc said into the phone.
Peter turned to him, eyebrows raised. “Anything helpful?”
Doc nodded, tossing the phone to him across the room. “Your friend is quite… straightforward. But he seems like he knows what he’s talking about.”
“He does.”
Doc leaned close to Tiffany, lowering his voice as he gave more instructions. She nodded and hurried to the nurses’ room.
“He said, if the Initiation hasn’t killed Dave, that’s fifty percent of a successful transition. His heart rate is stable, and he’s healthy overall, which is also good. The rest will depend on how he makes it through the night and how he feels when he wakes up. He said something about humans not having… um, the kind of energetic barrier like skyfolk, so too much stress can release too much power. Then—quote—he’ll be like an overinflated balloon under pressure.” Doc made a face. “If any of this makes sense to you, please feel free to explain what I, as a medic, am supposed to do with this mumbo-jumbo.”
The five of them just stared at him as Tiffany got back with another bottle of medicine.
“Considering the stress he’s already experienced because of Elena, we should
