Complications

Gain Some, Loose Some

Camilla grinned.
"This truly has been fun, but I've gotta go. Boo-bye."
Camilla disappeared with a flash of light.
"Giselle." Cried Xander.
He went over to his motionless sister.
"But, she zapped him, why leave her body?"
"Xander... I think she wants to get inside your head."
Xander shook off his jacket and covered Giselle's face. Emily came up behind him, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Now, I get to kill Kent." Growled Xander.
Nikki came over and stopped him.
"Stop it!"
"Why do you care?"
Nikki froze, and let go of Xander's shoulders. Her cheeks turned bright pink. Xander growled in the back of his throat as he came over top of Kent's body. The Professor came over and stopped him.
"Hey! We don't know if the kids been brainwashed."
Xander angrily walked over to the chair and sat down. The Professor pulled a scanner out of his pocket. He scanned Kent's forehead.
"No brainwash."
"What about Giselle?"
The Professor looked up at Xander.
"I'll take her for a proper burial."
Xander nodded. The Professor walked over to the control panel, and flicked a few switches. About thirty seconds later, the group was at a small cemetery.
"Here we are. The cemetery off the constellation Gafi."
Outside it was raining. Xander walked over to Giselle and picked her up. The Professor led the way to a small grave. He stopped by the grave, and motioned for Xander to lay his dead sister in the pile of wet mud. Xander leaned into the grave, and gently put down his sister. Discreetly, he wiped a tear.
"Come on." The Professor extended a hand for Xander. He grabbed it, and stood up.
"Anyone know how to perform a funeral ceremony?"
Nikki weakly raised her hand.
"Go on."
Nikki stepped near Giselle's now buried grave, and sucked in a deep breath.
"We are gathered here today, to celebrate the life of Giselle Lee. Giselle was twenty two years old when she died."
Nikki paused and looked around at the tear-streaked faces.
"Giselle will be remembered through her brother, Xander. We all knew Giselle as a mother like, and strong headed girl. And as one of Giselle's best friends, I know she will be missed, but kept in our dreams and minds."
Nikki stepped back, and patted Cher's back. She gave a comforting hug towards Donna.
"Let's go." Said the Professor through breaths.
The group walked in silence back to the Machine. As the Professor opened up the black door, he saw a figure standing in the middle of the room.
"Hey." Said the man.
The Professor turned on the lights, revealing Tobias.
"What are you doing?"
Tobias shrugged.
"I just woke up in here...."
The Professor walked over and looked into Tobias's eyes. He smiled shyly. Once all of the girls, and Xander got into the room, they stood wide eyed at Tobias.
"Hey...?"
Xander clenched his fists and started briskly walking towards Tobias. The Professor blocked his path.
"Not now." He whispered.
Xander nodded, and walked back towards the girls.
"Um... I'm Tobias."
Nikki was the only one smiling at Tobias. Cher, Emily, Donna, and Clessa frowned.
"We know who you are. Kent's son." Said Donna, crossly.
"I know he's done bad things. But, I really am nothing like him."
Cher walked over, and stared him down.
"Do stop."
Cher turned around, and slowly walked back to the crowd of girls.
You have six days left.
We do.
Remember? I live on. Oh, and that Giselle girl, I put a fire in her head. So you could suffer. The shot from Camilla wasn't supposed to kill her. I finished the job.
You aren't me. You could never be me.
I am you. Just the worst things brought out of you and put it into a separate person in your mind.
Who are you?
You.
Clessa started hyperventilating. She clutched her head, and started gasping. Everyone in the room was staring. The Professor ran over to his daughter, and put her into his arms.
"The voice (gasp) inside my head (gasp) it...it..."
"Shh shh shh." The Professor cradled her in his arms, and soothingly rocked her back and forth.
"Tell me, slowly."
"You know that voice inside my head? Well, it was in Giselle's too," Xander turned pale,"but...it finally explained itself. It told me that...it was put inside of Giselle's head to take he away from me. It said it was me, and we were one, but then it explained. It took my worst qualities, and made a new person in my mind. Then, it said if I died....it would live on. And infect someone else."
The Professor opened his mouth.
"I think that...the Geranium Code is mutating."
Clessa nodded, and let herself escape from the Professor's arms.
"Umm...." Tobias awkwardly walked towards the Professor.
"I'm not taking you home. You're my best bargaining chip. Make yourself comfortable in the first room on the left." The Professor gestured to the north hallway.
Tobias slowly walked to the hall.
"Actually, come back."
Tobias walked back to the Professor, who was now standing up.
"I need to interrogate you...quickly."
Tobias walked over to the Professor.
"What are your father's plans?"
"I can't tell you." Tobias grinned and walked down the hall.
"Yah you better run!" Yelled Donna.
Clessa was about to follow Tobias, but was stopped by her dad.
"Leave him."
Nikki, quickly and quietly slipped down the hallway after Tobias, which no one seemed to notice.
"He sure is stubborn." Muttered Clessa.
A buzzing sound appeared from Donna's pocket. She looked at the phone.
"Alright. Looks like I have to go on a quick mission. Train off of the Qyuli railroad derailed."
"Will you be back?" Asked Clessa.
"Well, Nikki, Cher, and Emily don't have school anymore, it ended a few hours ago, but I took up a job there. So I will be in and out of this little box."
Donna walked over to Clessa, and hugged her.
"When will you be back?"
"Few days, a week tops."
"I'll be dead in six days."
"I promise I'll be back." Whispered Donna.
Donna walked back over to her friends, and hugged them.
"I'll be back, 'Kay?"
The friends waved and wiped their tears. Donna nodded at the Professor, and pushed a button on her watch. She faded out of the room.
"Why are you crying?"
Cher and Emily wiped their tears.
"Because.... Donna is in a class at school that only gives out the most dangerous assignments. She...she....might not come back."
"She promised me. Donna promised!" Exclaimed Clessa with a stomp of her foot. She covered her mouth, and let tears flow.
"It'll be fine." Said her dad.
"No you don't! You never know for sure! Shut up!"
"You are overreacting."
"She saved my life."
Emily coughed.
"They saved my life!" Said Clessa gesturing to the crowd of girls.
"What?"
"While I was on the Gateway Games, they saved me."
"Oh no. No no no no no!"
The Professor raced over to his controls, and nervously typed in Gateway Games.
"I've heard of that before.... I'm really not sure about this!"
"What's wrong?"
The Professor breathed in.
"The Gateway Games is a game show that resonates in the future. People randomly get selected. But... they selected someone from the past."
"Keep going."
"Clessa....someone has hand picked you from the past for this certain moment, but why you? Seven billion other people!"
The Professor banged on his head and started yelling at himself.
"Think think think think think! Thinking...oh I'm too old!"
The Professor froze, and looked at Clessa.
"Oh Clessa."
"What?"
"Time is after you."