The Guinea Pig Incident

Title: The Guinea Pig Incident
Author: SilverFawkes
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: The Invisible Man
Pairing: Bobby/Claire, Darien/OFC (Alyx Silver)
Sequel: Nope
Timeline: After Where Angels fear to Tread and its unwritten sequel. Roughly, #20 in a long series of stories.
Summary: An experiment goes awry causing both Darien and Alyx to fall under the spell of Quicksilver madness.
SpoilerProbProbably, does it really matter after two years?
Disclaimer: The characters and bastorstory ideas of The Invisible Man are the property of others including, but not limited to Matt Greenberg, Studios USA, Stu Segall Productions and NBC Universal. Any additional characters or story ideas are mine. I make no money from this intellectual exercise.
Notes: This is an older story of mine and written long before I had some basic lessons pounded into my skull - especially that one about POV swapping. I haven’t yet screwed up the energy to revamp the entire story so you’ll still have to deal with bouncing POVs. I have made some other, minor fixes.
Created: 12/6/2001 (Hey, I said it was one of my older ones.)


The Guinea Pig Incident


"If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"

Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote that in his book, "The Gulag Archipel" N" Now, I have never claimed to be a saint — that was Kevin’s lot in life — but, even as I committed my less-than-law-abiding deeds, I never considered myself ‘evil.’ At least, not until that very same saintly brother gifted me with an invisibility gland. Then I discovered, much like the lesson learned by Dr. Jekyll as he inevitably became Mr. Hyde, evil is in ALL of us and, in many ways, it is the most powerful part of who we are.

Perhaps that’s why those who are inherently good fight it so very hard.

Darien strolled slowly down the hallways, trying his best to shed the residual irritation of a long day in the field that, while successful, still seemed to him not worth the expended effort. All that secrecy and hush-hush need to know over a stupid disk, which, near as he had been able ascertain, held little more than some phone numbers. Neither the ‘Fish nor Drake had fallen for his wheedling and whining requests for why he’d spent the day raiding the phone company’s records room.

In the end, Darien figured out, after a few hints accidentally dropped by his partner, that the day had been more about keeping his mind off what was going on down in Lab 101 than any real need of the Agency. In truth, he really couldn’t fault the tactic. If he’d not been distracted he would have most certainly been brooding over the potentially dangerous experiment going on in the basement of the building.

Months ago Alyx had volunteered to play guinea pig for Claire in order to find out how the toxin that caused the madness affected her. The results could be very useful in coming up with an even better counteragent, or even reversing the toxin’s effect altogether in Darien. He hadn’t been all that thrilled about letting her risk herself, but knew he wouldn’t stop her, though they had sat down and discussed his concerns. He was more than intelligent and educated enough to realize that tests on lab rats — real rats of the vermin kind — and computer simulations could not cover everything. Given her unique system, it was possible her body might even figure out how to counter the toxin naturally, and that information would be a prize more than worth the little risk. Or so Alyx had argued.

Darien knew that as long as he kept the gland and stayed with the Agency and her, she would continue to try and find a solution for him, alternatives to the removal that he had chosen not to have done. He thought she was crazy at times, but he also appreciated everything she had done to get him this far. Having the frequency of counteragent shots reduced to once a month, if he used no Quicksilver, was looking to be a real possibility. Though it was the not using the Quicksilver that was the hard part; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone an entire week without needing it. But having only two segments left green was no longer the terrifying prospect that at one time it had been. With the inhibitor, two segments was no longer the feared 24 hours or so until madness. Two segments could be as much as a week. In fact, Claire was considering a new version of the monitor that would better show the amount of time left to him. Perhaps slowly shading from red to green in each segment. Segmenting the segments had been his translation of her long and technically involved explanation.

The prospect of having that arm cut into yet again did not thrill him, and the idea of a more accurate monitor having both good and bad points; there had beumerumerous occasions when knowing exactly how much time he had left sane had been a terrifying experience. Did he really want to know, to within a few minutes, exactly when he’d fall off the deep end and into madness? Not really, but he knew that if Claire designed the new monitor, he’d go ahead and have it put ine fee fear of knowing when he’d go Quicksilver mad was offset by the need to not hurt others. That was his greatest concern: the damage he knew he both could and would inflict when mad, the people he would hurt regardless of them being friend, foe, or innocent. It was something he’d do just about anything to prevent.

When he turned the final corner that led down to the Keep, he was surprised to find the door open and no signs of anyone about. He forced himself not to worry — his concern for Alyx had been driving her up the wall at times. Hobbes had taken to needling him about it, nearly causing a full-blown argument after one very long, tiring day, which Claire had managed to defuse by commenting that it reminded her of the way Bobby sometimes acted around her. That had ended any more commentary from his partner. The door standing open might mean nothing more than that it was stuck again. Alyx could probably fix it, with little or no effort. Walking inside, he looked about the darkened room.

"Keep? Alyx?" Darien stepped around the glass screen to find, not Alyx, but Claire lying on the exam chair, out cold. "Crap. Alyx, you in here?" He went to Claire’s side and checked for a pulse. Finding a nice strong one, he sighed with relief. He was about to head for the phone and call for help when he heard the Keep door slide shut. "Alyx? Is that you?"

"And who else would it be?" Alyx said quietly. "We’ve been waiting for you." She moved to stand beside him, even though he did not yet realize it. "Thought you might need a shot when you got done."

Darien jumped at the sound of her voice directly beside him. "I’m fine." He looked around for her, wondering why the hell she was sneaking up on him Quicksilvered. She wasn’t exactly known for her pranks. "What happened to Claire?"

Alyx chuckled. "The Keepy was feeling sleepy." She reached out, set a hand on his arm and let the Quicksilver flow across him. "Come on. We need to get out of here."

"Alyx…" He looked over at Claire and resisted the pull on his arm, even as his sight switched from normal to modified grayscale. "But, Claire, we need to…"

"Get out of here before they come back," she snapped at a harsh whisper. This time when she pulled on his arm he followed, if a bit reluctantly. She smiled, glad that it worked this time. "We need to hide while they sweep the building."

"Sweep the building? Crap. What happened?" Darien had switched from being half dragged along to moving willingly beside her. His hand was wrapped in her own. "The Archives. We can hide in there for a while."

"Perfect." She tried to keep the delight out of her voice as he joined in thme wme with seeming enthusiasm. Of course, he didn’t yet know what the game was. It wasn’t all that far and, once in the dark room, he led them towards the back where they knew one of the shelves stood several feet away from the wall. They had to shift a filing cabinet to get behind it, but it wasn’t like it was the first time they’d used this hideaway.

Darien had discovered it one day while bored and poking about in here. He suspected that either Eberts or Hobbes had once used it as a place to catch naps. Eberts was gone now, and Hobbes had free use of the futon sofa in Alyx’s office, so the space rarely got used these days. Once the file cabinet was back in place — done with a casual thought by Alyx — he pulled her close and lowered his voice. "Spill. What’s going on?"

"A little fun." She slid the needle through the cloth of his shirt and into the muscle of his shoulder, ignoring the yelp of pain and holding him still as she depressed the plunger and injected the contents into his system. It wasn’t the most efficient method, but it would do for now.

"Shit, Alyx, what the hell was that for?" he all but shouted into the small space as he fell out of her hold and to his knees.

Alyx let the Quicksilver fall away and lowered herself to the floor beside him. She discarded the now-empty syringe by tossing it away and shattering it with her mind. The remains were so small that no one would ever be able to figure out what it once was, never mind what it had contained. "It’ll take a few minutes to work. Just relax and try not to fight it."

A surge of fear raced through Darien at her words, and he came very near to replacing her Quicksilver with some of his own. He forced himself to relax, to enforce that control he had mastered over the years, to slow the pounding of his heart and virtuallyp thp the adrenaline from flowing. He had the Quicksilver under conscious control these days, except for extreme situations, which this was not. Or so he hoped.

"What was that?" He half-expected to be unconscious by now, guessing that it had been Alyx who had arranged for the Keeper to take a little nap. It was the headache building, a familiar, hated, knocking, that muttering chorus of voices swiftly building in volume that finally gave him a good idea of what she had done.

"Oh, just what the Keeper has been sticking me with all day." Alyx kneaded the muscles of his shoulders and neck, hoping to ease the pain she knew was coming for him. The cold radiating off the Quicksilver was only a minor irritation to her at the moment; Quicksilvering the palms of her hands was instinctive and done almost without any conscious thought at all.

"But I thought that you guys were doing the toxin tests today…." He trailed off with a groan as the first explosive pain and seizure took over momentary control of his body. He collapsed fully, curling about himself, his hand clutching at the back of his neck in a futile attempt to ease the pain. When it was over, his normal sight was restored. He pulled out of Alyx’s gentle hold and turned to look at her.

He closed his eyes for a minute, not quite able to grasp what he was seeing, or thought he was seeing. The sight hadn’t changed when he reopened them, though, so he was forced into believing it was real. Her eyes were now solid silver, just like what happened to him during… "Stage Five," he whispered aloud.

"Hmm, yes. Though, I apparently skip all the rest. I go from my everyday, repressed self to… this." She leaned in close to him, noting the flushed skin tone and heavily bloodshot eyes. She had a second syringe ready if the first was not enough to get him where she wanted him. "Claire always compared your Stage Five to my Phase III programming." She had his attention, his eyes locked on hers. "Why didn’t you ever tell her how very wrong she was? Phase III is a mere shadow of… of this." She stretched, arching like a cat, her voice a sweet, seductive purr.

"Ah, crap, Alyx, you don’t want to do this." Darien barely got the words out. He was already fighting with himself, trying to ignore those voices, those thoughts, wer were now pounding at that locked door in his mind, demanding to be let out to play. And she was so close, so dangerously seductive, so….

"Oh yes, I do," she interrupted his train of thought and moved closer to him, forcing him to back away, to try and keep his distance as he still fought the conflicting urges running through his mind and body. He found himself against the wall with no place to go. That may have been a mistake, as she followed right along and simply straddled him, her weight settling across his thighs, her hands coming up to rest on the wall to either side of his head. "And so do you. I can feel it, have felt it. Part of you has wanted this so very badly since coming home from New Mexico." Her face was mere centimeters from his, her breath dancing across his skin with every word.

He groaned and fought the sudden urge to kiss her. She was right and he knew it, but no matter how much part of him wanted it, wanted the freedom, the release of responsibility, he would still fight it. He had to, because it was inevitable that it would end, that he’d be granted his conscience again, and he hated the guilt that came with it. Hated knowing he’d hurt people, said things, done things that he thought himself incapable of. And yet, every time he found out just how much further he could sink, and one of these days there would be no rescue.

"Alyx,"

She put a finger to his lips. "Shhh, you can’t stop it, so you might as well enjoy it." With a dangerous grin, she kissed him, her hands cupping his face as his head exploded into pain again.

By the time it was over, he found himself lying atop her, her fingers running through his hair, her distraction having been well timnd vnd very well executed. Lifting himself up slightly he looked down at her with a grin that matched hers. "Well, hello there. Have we met?"

"Hmmm, technically not. Should we shake hands, or have sex?" She lifted herself up and nuzzled his throat, making him moan softly. "Now isn’t this better?"

"Oh yessss," Darien managed to say as her hands made their way under his shirt to run along his back. For several long minutes he did nothing more than allow himself to revel in the pleasure she was giving him, until he tried to shift and whacked his leg into the shelving they were hiding behind. "Crap," he muttered, sitting up and rubbing his knee. He debatedhinghing over the shelving out of pique, but Alyx’s soft laugh changed his mind as well as his focus.

She rolled onto her stomach and rested her head on her arms, just watching him. There was something irresistibly sexy about him with those blood red eyes of his, like a big jungle cat on a hunt. "You feel like having some fun?"

He eyed her warily — even in his current state, he knew she was probably very dangerous, being that one step ahead of him in the madness cycle. "Thought we were having fun."

"Umm, yes, but I’m really not in the mood to hide in here until they find us." She pushed herself to her hands and knees and stalked over to him. The lithe, supple movements of her body settled his mind firmly on one track. The one she wanted him in. She wanted, needed him on the same wavelength, didn’t want to have to manipulate him more than necessary, wanted to persuade, not control. Not yet anyway. "I want to go out and paint the town red. som some real fun for a change. I want to play."

She was in front of him now. He reached out to caress her face, enjoying the reaction he caused. He ran his thumb across her lips, tracing them lightly. Damn if he didn’t want her right now, but he resisted, wanting to savor the moment when it came, and wanting to be somewhere else when he took her. There was simply not enough room back here for what he had in mind. "Where to?"

Alyx bit gently at his thumb, enjoying momemoment. "Oh, a club I know of. My place first, though." She leaned in closer, breathing in his scent, tasting the flesh of his throat, familiarizing herself with him in this new state of being. This freedom of the mind was so very glorious and so very freeing. "I have a surprise for you."

"You mean there’s more?" He couldn’t help but be amused. How many surprises could she have for him in one day?

"Oh, lots more." She got to her feet and held out a hand to help him to his. With little effort, she moved the file cabinet and led the way out of their hiding place. "Don’t worry lover, they don’t suspect a thing yet."

Darien smiled, making her shiver and want to shove him back into their spot and make him shiver as well. He was just so damn sexy with his eyes like that. "Come on." She let the Quicksilver flow and watched as he did the same. They had a hard time trying not to laugh as they made their way out of the building, causing as much trouble as they could on the way. Which included Alyx pulling the plug on the power to the building and listening to the Official chew out Drake for not paying the electric bill.

Hobbes came tearing out of his office, yelling about the loss of the report he’d been typing when his computer shut off along with the power. That convinced them playtime was over and, with swallowed laughter, they left the building and went to her car, where they finally let the Quicksilver flake away.

As they pulled out onto the road, Darien dug into the glove box and pulled out a pair of sunglasses that he handed to Alyx. He always kept a pair shoved in a jacket pocket, just in case. There was no need to frighten the natives more than necessary. Turning to watch her as she drove rather recklessly down the city streets, he had to admit she was right. They both deserved a little fun.

The sound and gentle vibration of her humming drew him back from the light doze he had fallen into and he looked towards the windows that encompassed one entire wall of her apartment. The t wat was swiftly shading into indigo, the sun having fallen below the horizon while they were recovering from their late afternoon activities. Her proclamation of surprises for him had been forgotten for a time and, though he had tried to resist the temptation that she had become, he gave in the moment she had shut and locked her door. She hpentpent the entire drivre tre teasing him with heated glances, erotic words and mental contact, and with carefully controlled use of her mind.

It wasn’t the first time she’d used her abilities to bring him to state of nearly uncontrolled lust without touching him. It was amazing exactly how physical she could be and never do more than seemingly rove her eyes over his body. With ghostly touches only she was capable of performing she kept him focused on her, adding to his arousal by slow, almost painfully slow, increments so that by the time she’d parked the car he’d been nearly ready to explode. Instead, she had charmed him, much as snake-charmer would a cobra, and lured him upstairs. She kept him just a short step away from throwing her to the floor and taking her where she fell. He didn’t know if the control was hers or his; didn’t much care, but when that door had shut the control snapped and he qly sly stripped her of the loose fitting silk pants she wore, snapping the drawstring and pushing them to the floor. The flimsy piece of silk beneath gave with a single sharp tug from his hands. Lifting her so that her back was pressed into the door, the cold metal chilling her through the thin oriental style silk shirt she still wore, he freed himself from the slacks that had been too tight for far too long now and slid himself inside of her.

Her low throaty chuckle agerngerngerness devolved into a long soft moan of pleasure as her legs wrapped about his waist and drew him even further into her. Rational thought had vanished then and he found himself falling into her. This was not the simple and still mostly uncontrolled exchange of emotions that often occurred when they performed this dance. This was them falling into each other heart and soul, maddened mind to maddened mind and, though some oddly detached part of his mind found it shocking and astonishing, realizing that this was an unusual happening, the rest felt the irresistible joy. And he knew she weacteacting the same way. The unexpected merging both startling her and driving her on just as it drove him on.

They cried out their release in unison, neither knowing who had begun the process and neither really caring as they were swept up in the overwhelming sensations that crashed across their minds and bodies.

Darien’s legs gave out and toer ter they went to the floor, him sitting on his knees, leaning against her and the door, his breath co in in harsh pants. She began stroking him gently, bringing him back down, grounding him back into reality, trying to separate herself from him and finding it difficult. Eventually, once he’d caught his breath and slowed the pounding of his heart enough to hear more than the blood rushing past his ears he carefully stood, still holding her. Then he moved them to the sofa where they proceeded to start over again, but at a much slower, more relaxed pace. Playfully teasing each other into that state of total bliss that they both craved.

They were currently sprawled across her sofa, an oversized sectional in a dark gray, her far smaller frame curled upon his, head resting on his stomach, hands lying where they had fallen, one across his chest and the other draped across his thighs. She was completely boneless, her hair a tousled mass of curls that he had created, his s has having buried themselves in the fiery locks over and over again.

"Battle Hymn of the Republic?" he rumbled.

Alyx shifted her head and licked at his navel, causing the muscles of his abdomen to tighten in reaction. "Hmmm? Oh, yeah. Just a random choice." She was feeling a joyous lethargy for the moment. Letting his presence seep into her, letting the little voices that were chattering incessantly flow through her mind. The ideas they were spawning now that their initial lusts had been sated were becoming more and more interesting. She’d forgotten how enjoyable he was when out of control. When the madness was ruling his lusts and, now that the urge to hurt her, to try and control her had been dealt with, it was an even more erotic experience. The urgency of his need had driven her to peaks she’d not felt in ages and had driven him there as well. The two of them, sunk in Quicksilver madness as they were, had found highs that could not be matched. This was going to be even more fun than she had originally planned.

She lifted herself and moved so that she was lying atop his long, lean length, her eyes looking down into his own. One of his hands came up to cup the back of her head and drew her down into a deep, slow, lingering kiss that brought both them back to a mild state of arousal, not enough to distract them, but enough to enhance the way they were feeling. Making her want to purr and stretch about him, or perhaps curl up and simply enjoy the feel of his skin, the flow of his muscles as he shifted and breathed, oak oak up the warmth of his body, but other motivations intruded making her pull away and s

"You still interested in heading out. Having some real fun?"

"Mmmm, maybe. I’m sure you can persuade me." His hand slid down her back to her buttocks, caressing the firm muscle there and earning a warm chuckle for it.

"Well, I’m certain they’ve discovered Claire by now. We should have visitors within the hour. Do you really want to still be here? Have our fun cut short early?" She blinked lazily at him, letting the words sink in. She saw the look of dark a on on his face, felt the near rage pour off his senses. "Shhh, no need to get angry, we just need to hurry a bit."

There were some major differences between Stages Four and Five, the most dramatic of which was emotion. In Four, all the emotions kind of roiled about, the lesser ones tending to be stronger, though it could be focused or manipulated. In Five, you just didn’t care any more. If you wanted to hurt someone, it felt just sam same as eating an ice cream cone, aas jas just as pleasurable. The purest form of being a sociopath. She liked the feeling, liked knowing she could do things her normally tightly controlled, carefully monitored sense of right and wrong would never let her near.

It took him a moment to regain control, her bland indifference actually helping, revealing how little she was concerned over the chance of discovery. Of course, Stage Five was like that, he knew. It wasn’t that she had no worries over the potential threat of being caught, but she just didn’t have any emotional attachment to the worry. It was simply something to be dealt with, no more, no less. "Hrm, shower and then…. What do I have stashed here to wear?"

"No worries, love. I have just the outfit for you. Been looking for an excuse to give it to you." She grinned, images of how he would look in the clothes flashing through her mind. "And I get to wear something new as well." She pushed away from him and slipped off the sofa, walking away with a gentle sway to her hips. Darien growled low in his throat and followed her.

Somehow, they managed to shower and not turn the experience into another round of sexual play even though both of them were seriously tempted to. They aroused and cooled each other with well-timed precision as they slicked themselves with scented soaps and shampoos. Darien managed to get his hair acceptable while she dragged out several boxes that she’d hidden in her closet. At her urging, he carried them out to her bed and left her alone to get dressed.

Standing there in his snug boxer-briefs, he opened the boxes, finding a selection of clothes he would have never bought for himself. Well, the shirt maybe. Alyx had shown him the joys of wearing silk, expensive silk, and this was another to add to his burgeoning collection she had started. This one was a deep red dress shirt of the collarless style. Looking at it, he suspected the cut would be fairly snug, showing off the well-developed and maintained muscles of his torso. Though she didn’t often admit it, he knew she loved it when he wore tight-fitting shirts, especially that glaringly bright orange one. She ced ted that it made her eyes hurt and that’s why she always peeled him out of it first chance she got. He was pretty damn sure it was because what the shirt had been revealing all day was driving her crazy that made her remove it, as they inevitably ended up in bed once it came off.

Setting the shirt aside, he opened the next box to free the luxurious scent of leather. Moving the tissue paper aside, he found a pair of black pants that must have cost a small fortune and would probably fit very snugly. Normally he’d never consider wearing anything like this, but now… now there was something oddly appropriate about it. Removing them from the box, he shook them loose and then pulled them on. The supple leather was a sensual experience to feel upon his body, which made him realize just why Alyx enjoyed wearing it so damn much. The girl loved her leather and owned quite a bit of it. Then he drew on the silk shirt, noting the complimentary feel of the two materials. He’d been right about the cut of the shirt, snug but not tight, allowing more than enough room for easy movement while still showing off everything he had to offer. Perfect.

The remaining boxes — one obviously a shoebox — contained a pair of semi dress shoes that fit perfectly and a calf-length black leather coat. He’d noticed about a month ago that his black leather jacket was looking a bit worse for wear. Alyx must have made note of it herself and picked this up for him. Much like the pants, the coat was of the highest quality leather and very expensive. Oh, he was liking her idea of surprises more and more.

When Alyx came out of the bathroom he was leaning against the counter, sipping a beer he’d retrieved from her fridge. She gave a low growl of pleasure at the sight of him. He looked and smelled even better that she had ever imagined. Strolling over to him, she removed the beer from his hand and set it on the counter. "Perfect," she said as she ran her hands across his chest, enjoying the feel of silk over his muscles. "Just perfect."

Darien was stunned into immobility looking at her. She was wearing suede in a dark red that nearly matched the color of his shirt. The pants sat low on her hips, showing off both scars caused by bullets, though he might be one of the few to really notice them simply because he knew where they were. The pants laced up one entire side, the laces spread wide apart revealing everything she wasn’t wearing beneath. The top matched in color but was more revealing, the sleeves long and slightly belled, hiding her hands from sight when her arms hung loosely by her sides. It was cut with a dramatic curve dipping between her breasts that, though it seemed revealing, really wasn’t. Simply showing off her tan, tantalizing one with the suggestiveness of what was hiding behind the softened leather. The back laced up and revealed just enough of the dragon tattooed there to intrigue those who might see it. The top came low enough to cover all her ribs, but that still left several inches of bare flesh before the pants took over covering the curves of her body. Completing the outfit were a pair of square-toed boots that actually gave her several extra inches in height and a duster that matched perfectly.

Much to his pleasure, she had left her hair down; the bright coils a dramatic contrast to the darker red of the clothing. It was obvious even to him that she had bought the both sets of clothes to compliment each other, and he had to wonder what she had originally had planned for them. "You’re not half bad either," he finally said. His mind had settled enough for a cool sort of control to come over him.

She tipped her head slightly to the side. "Time to go. Company is on the way."

The anger came back then, but a simple touch of her hand to his cheek eased it, though an enjoyable aggressiveness settled upon him. "Let’s get out of here."

Alyx grabbed a pair of sunglasses off the counter and slipped toverover her eyes. As she walked towards the door, the Quicksilver flowed and shimmered in dimly lit room, her form vanishing from sight even as he followed suit, catching up with her at the door. They passed two agents in the hallway that led to the garage who were foolishly not wearing thermals. Not that it would have mattered; there was no way Darien was going to let anyone stop them, not now. Parked outside was Hobbes’ van, with him sitting inside, headset in place, most likely in contact with those they had just passed inside the building. He also failed to notice them.