FicWad

The gravitas of the situation weighed down even heavier on the small group. The cinder-block walls of the bunker only added to the stifling air and the tension surrounding them. "He was the figure... in the window," Mikey whispered, a lump forming in his throat as he realized why Dr. Clark had been so distraught at the explosion.

“I'm... sorry,” Ray looked up at her sheepishly, his hand reaching up by nervous habit to flatten down the hair that was once there. He caught himself when his hand met the barest stubble and looked even more awkward.

“Yeah, I think we're all sorry that you're brother died,” Mikey added and the whole group nodded with him... everyone but Gerard.

“Why?” Gerard's voice cut through the sorrow-filled air, demanding and direct with no gentleness. Before anyone could ask him what he meant he elaborated, "Why help us?"

Dr. Clark struggled to make eye contact with the cold man. “Because... you are more than men, you're an ideal... you're...” She took a shuddering breath in to steady herself and tried to collect her thoughts from among the grief-riddled cobwebs of her mind. “The four of you are the only thing BL/Ind is scared of... You are the embodiment of everything they fight to squash and you are the only ones to have actually made them face their fears...” She rubbed the bridge of her nose, she had no idea if she was making any sense now. All she wanted was to sleep... and never wake up.

The men all felt awkward and humbled at her words, except for Gerard. "So what now?" He ignored the sniffling of the woman in front of him and turned his attention to Death Defying.

"Well..." Doc glanced sideways at the now calmed down Dr. Clark, "I think it's time we pay a visit to the Chaplain."

Mikey snapped his head up at the sudden change. "Wait a sec, there's something I want to know before we go anywhere!"

"Oh?" Gerard's lazy gaze met his own brother's furious eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" The words came out louder and harsher than he had intended, but the look of surprise from his brother was subtly satisfying.

Gerard glanced over his body briefly before looking up at his brother, "Nothing, why?"

"Nothing? Because it seems to me that you woke up as an asshole or something," Gerard's face remained impassive at this. "You abandoned a fallen comrade, you didn't even seem the least remorseful about it, you didn't even get mad when Dr. D slammed your face into the car!"

"Should I have?"

"SEE! You son of a bitch! What's next? Are you gonna pull a rubber mask out of your ass and shoot us all?" Mikey's face started to redden as he yell and his friends got ready to restrain the two brothers should it come to blows. The bunker was suddenly far too small... it felt more like a coffin now.

"I think I might know what's wrong," a quiet voice stopped them all and they turned to face Dr. Clark. She rose from her chair and walked to the cardboard box, soon pulling out one of the medical files. She thumbed through it and stopped in the middle. "Gerard... in a way has already gone through the draculoid conditioning when he was shot in the head... the file says it is likely that the emotional parts of his brain have become inhibited? I think that's what this is saying, but I'm no medical doctor..."

"Uh... what kind of doctor are you?" Ray asked.

Dr. Clark looked over at him with a bashful smile and handed the file over to Mikey so he could have a look, "Weapons engineering... Richard would make the dracs, and I'd arm them."

Frank's eyes widened, "So the power grenade thing? Was that you?"

"Oh, yeah... I recently started tinkering when I got bored so that's what I came up with."

"Tinkering..." Frank shook his head at the light word used to explain something so serious.

Mikey looked up from the folder and passed it to a relatively uninterested Gerard, "So is this brain thing permanent?"

Dr. Clark carefully thought over her words before she spoke, "There's a possibility that it could be, but the brain can repair itself in remarkable ways. There's no ruling out a recovery, he hasn't been reprogrammed or developed any addictions to the drugs... I just don't know when he'd recover if he does."

The news calmed Mikey down a bit, at least there was hope. But now what he really needed was patience. No point in murdering his brother out of frustration if he could become his old self at any time. "So in the meantime?"

Dr. Clark shrugged, "Appeal to his sense of logic and reason?"

They all turned to look at Gerard who merely shrugged in answer as he continued looking through the file. Ray turned his attention back to Dr. D, "So... the Chaplain now?"

Dr. Clark snorted in mild contempt, "I don't see how going to church now is going to help any of us."

Dr. D laughed and shook his head at her attitude, "Just hold your judgments till we get there, the Chaplain might just surprise you."