ilude

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Interlude

by: Helena

Disclaimer: The Invisible Man (2000 series) and its characters are copyrighted to the Sci-Fi channel and USA Cable Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Author's Note: I guess this falls under the "Scenes we wish we had seen"category. The first part is straight from the Pilot, with a bit of interjection. The rest is from my own mind. Hope you all enjoy.

*****

"My brother's legacy may have been out of sight, but it sure as hell wasn't out of my mind." I stared at the x-ray up on the screen and wondered about madness, invisibility and my future.

Casey came in, a sad look on her face, "I can't take it out Darien. Not without killing you."

"Well I guess uh…that's it then…huh…game over?" I said.

"Look, there still may be a chance. If I can reproduce your brother's process…. figure out how he put the gland in in the first place..." Casey began.

I interrupted, "Case, come on….that could take years."

"But we won't know if we don't try. We'll just have to start from scratch," Casey said.

"You'd stay with me?" I asked.

"I'll help you," she said shortly.

"That's not what I meant." I said.

"I can't offer any more Darien."

You think maybe you and I can start from scratch?" I asked.

"We'll see."

Casey removed the x-ray from the board and placed it into an envelope. "So the eyes…your attack…the shot? I need to know what that was all about Darien."

I reached back to massage the nape of my neck. Bad habit that. "Well, someone manipulated the gland without Kevin's knowledge…before it was implanted. The hormone secreted by the gland builds in my blood…slowly releasing all my inhibitions. It sends me into insanity. The shot you gave me was a counteragent. I need the counteragent every six days, or I go mad. Problem is, I have no idea what the counteragent is."

Casey stared at me for a moment. "You still don't want totalk about it, do you?"

I shook my head.

"Go then. Call me when you are ready." Casey left the room without a backwards glance.

Well, at least I had Casey willing to work on removing the gland and the possibility that I could redeem myself. Now all I had to do was bury my brother.

I hadn't really known my brother for years. By the time I was ten, he spent so much time with my uncle….I just lost touch. I couldn't relate to him. Occasionally, when I would find myself in jail, he would bail me out, give me the obligatory lecture about my life, and return to wherever it was he had come from.

My experiences in the lab let me understand a little bit more about him. His passion for science drove him. I don't think he really had any understanding about me or what motivated me. As I watched the coffin lowered into the ground, all I felt was abandoned. And anger. Anger at him for putting me in this position. Madness loomed on the frontier, and I had no idea how I was going to avoid it.

I should have known that The Official would figure out how to land me….like a big fish. Arnaud was right. When The Official held up that syringe with the counteragent, I could almost smell it. And I knew right then, I would do whatever I could to get my hands on it. I didn't let him know that of course.

Suffice it to say, The Official obviously knew that I would do anything. So I spent a few days in a rubber room, on the edge of insanity, and learned that even if I could get my hands on it, it would do me no good. I don't know how to synthesize it or dilute it. Guess for now I am stuck doing what I am told to do.

***

About a week after I buried Kevin, I met with Casey at the hospital, in the agreed upon examining room. I walked in and hopped up on the exam table while Casey continued to stare at the x-ray of my brain up on the board. She was completely oblivious to my presence. Made me think of Kevin worrying at a problem.

Casey was muttering to herself. "Let's see. Counteragent first, gland removal second. I'll need to start with general blood work, etc. to see what is out of the ordinary. Then probably a CAT and an MRI to see how the cerebral tissues have been impacted."

"So, more pricking and prodding?" I asked.

Casey turned to look at me. "Hrm?" she asked distractedly. She finally registered my arrival.

"Pricked. Poked. Prodded." I said. "You're going torun me through the ringer again, aren't you?"

Casey finally looked at me as if I were really there. "I don't really know any other way Darien. Unless you can get me Kevin's notes, I have to start from scratch."

"I don't think anything survived. Either at the lab or Arnaud's place." I looked at her. "And given my recent experience with my Keeper, I don't think she will be handing over any information either."

Casey raised an eyebrow. "Keeper? Who and what is a Keeper?"

"Well, apparently she is the lady assigned to look after me…..and keep me in line. I was offered a job in return for the counteragent. I took it. She dispenses my counteragent. And I don't think she likes me very much."

Casey's face lit up with a mischievous grin. "I'm surprised you found a lady who doesn't succumb to your charms. As I recall, every woman you've ever met melted all over you."

I smiled at Casey's tease. "I seem to recall you getting quite jealous…even when it earned us special treatment."

"I was never jealous," Casey said, indignation clear on her face.

Casey began the poking and prodding. Silence lay heavy between us as she drew blood, took my temperature….all the usual stuff. As she capped off the third vial of blood, she asked me what I knew about the gland and counteragent.

"Well, the gland secretes a hormone all the time, with the levels building in my blood. This hormone somehow affects my higher cortical functions, releasing all inhibitions. The counteragent blocks the gland, slowing the flow to a certain degree, but a certain amount is still released. After six days, assuming I don't use the gland, the levels are sufficient to alter my behavior."

Casey cocked her had and gave me a penetrating look. "What do you mean by `assuming I don't use the gland'? How does one`use' a gland?"

"Well," I began, "I can control the output of the gland to a certain degree. I can make it produce the hormone on demand."

Casey walked over to me and placed a gentle hand on my leg. "Darien, what does the hormone do? You still haven't told me that. I mean, Kevin had to have implanted it for a reason. What does it do?"

"I'm not sure I should tell you that Casey. I know that Ipromised I would never lie to you again. And I don't want to do that, but I just don't think that it is safe to tell you."

"You were going to tell me before. And that agent, the false one, he said you believed you could go invisible. But that simply isn't possible. Darien, I'm going to need to know everything if I am to help you."

I brushed a stray lock of hair back from Casey's face. "Hrm….not possible. Case, you might have to alter your beliefs on what is possible and what is not." With that, I disappeared from sight.

Casey's eyes grew large as she uttered a whispered, "Oh my god" and stepped back a pace.

Her eyes frantically searched the room. "Darien? Where did you go? Are you still here?

I placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched and stepped back. "Case, I'm still here." I quickly shed my quicksilver coating. "Case. It's okay. I'm still here."

Casey simply stared at me. I hopped off the table, intending to offer comfort. She took another step back.

"That simply is not possible," she finally said.

I stood there quietly for a moment, giving her time to gather herself. I took a few hesitant steps forward, and, noting the release of fear from her eyes, closed the distance and brought her into my embrace. "I'm sorry. I guess I should have warned you."

***

Casey and I spent the next few weeks tiptoeing through the rebuilding of our relationship. The doctor-patient episodes were fine, but the boyfriend-girlfriend bond was tenuous at best.

I suffered the pricks, pokes, and prodding without complaint, feeding her whatever tidbits of information I could glean from my Keeper. The social situations were more tricky.

Casey would slowly fall into the old patterns, then something on the television, or a random comment would bring her back to the present, and she would distance herself from me yet again. We shared dinner at her house three nights in a row, and I felt hope blooming in my chest. At least this one part of my life could return to normal. We cuddled on the couch each night, watching old movies on cable, sharing the occasional caress or random kiss. On the third night, Casey expressed an interest in more.

Delight. Joy. Surprise. Hope. Each emotion filled me as I slowly caressed her face, her hair, her lips, her breasts. The familiar touch of her fingers once again exploring my body filled me with excitement.

And then it happened. The world changed to black and white. Casey's arms shoved me away. I landed on the floor, looking up at her as color returned to my vision.

The look of horror in Casey's eyes spoke volumes. And my heart broke, to litter the carpet like so many flakes of shed quicksilver.

I knew that Casey would be true to her word. She would work on the counteragent, and would try to find a way to remove the curse from my skull, but any hope of reconciliation had disappeared when I had.

"Casey. You aren't going to be able to handle this, are you?" Sorrow bled out through my voice.

"Oh my god Darien. I'm so sorry." Casey buried her face in her hands and began to cry softly.

I crawled up to the couch and hesitantly reached out to offer her comfort. She flinched at my touch, but didn't move away. "Hush," I whispered. "Shhhh. It's okay Case. I understand. I have a hard time dealing with it as well."

Casey pulled away, removing her face from her hand. Her tear-streaked face was filled with an odd pain. "I…..as a doctor, I can work on the problem and the solution. But you and I…..oh Darien, I'm so sorry. I just can't deal with it."

Casey's eyes pleaded for understanding. I gave her cheek one last caress and nodded my head. "I understand. And Case. It's okay. I don't blame you." I stood and retrieved my jacket. "I'll stop by on Monday for the usual blood work." I leaned down to deliver a light kiss on her brow. "Call me if you ever need anything."

I walked to the door. Opened it. I turned to look at Casey before I left. She was sitting with her face back in her hands. "I love you," I said as I left.