Chapter Eight
November 12th, 1:25 PM
Rapid coughs woke Erin up. Rapid coughs, pain, a splitting headache, pain, throbs in her arms and legs, pain. A whole body throttling that went way beyond the flu.
She opened her eyes and sat up. She was lying on her apartment couch with a couple of blankets covering her body, naked but for last night's polka dot lingerie. On a heap on th floor was her blue spandex, white boots and gloves, mask, and utility belt. On the table in front of her was a tall glass of water.
She ran her fingers through her hair, which felt dirty and wet. She hadn't taken a shower since the alley ambush. She smelled a little. But all that was secondary next to the pain. She placed her hand on her forehead and breathed in and out, trying to center herself.
"How are you feeling?" said a small, calm, pleasant voice: Margot's voice. Erin saw her in the kitchen in her pajamas, fiddling over the stove.
"Like shit," Erin coughed. She laid her head back against the pillow and pulled the blankets up to her neck. "I am so, so sick."
"You're more than that," Margot said, scooping some eggs from a pan onto a plate. "You've been poisoned."
Erin looked at Margot. "What?"
Margot brought the plate of eggs over to Erin and set it down on the coffee table. "Eat those. And drink lots of fluids."
Erin sat up. "I've been poisoned?"
"I think so," Margot nodded, pulling up a chair next to the couch. "It looks bad, Erin."
Erin gulped. "Well, it feels worse." She tried to sit up on the couch to eat her eggs. The effort made her wince, bringing her back to a laying position.
"It was that doctor, Gregory Todd. Or as his friends like to call him, Grigory Todorov," Margot said.
Erin shook her head. "That injection."
Margot nodded. "Yes."
Erin thought about making a point, a sort of "I told you so." But she couldn't make Margot feel bad. Not after what she did last night. If Margot had been just a minute late, it would have meant the exposure Blue Lynx's secret identity. And if she hadn't come at all, it could have meant things far, far worse. So she just sighed sadly, and brought the glass of water to her lips.
"I'm so, so sorry, Erin," Margot said. "After you left yesterday, I started doing research. This guy, Todorov, he was stripped of his license years ago. No one really knows what happened to him since then. But I saw old pictures of him when he was actually working. Pictures of him with Brent Hammerson."
Erin stared at Margot. "Oh shit."
"Yep," Margot said. "I called Evelyn last night, too. And she said she'd never heard of the guy, had never seen him before."
"It was a trap," Erin said, with a harsh cough.
Margot nodded. "Somehow, Hammerson got wind of our project. And he got his favorite doctor to inject you with some kind of poison."
"That's why I was so weak last night," Erin said. "I've never been in so much pain."
"I know," Margot said. "As soon as I started reading about this doctor, I knew I had to come get you. I knew you'd be in trouble. So I tracked you down with your phone tracker."
"And you fought off four men," Erin said, with a weak smile. "You're a true sidekick."
Margot blushed and looked away from Erin. "Yeah, I figured it would be a good time to try on the costume I've been working on."
"Margot, you saved my life," Erin said. "How many times is that, now?"
Margot shrugged. "I don't know, Erin. But you never would've got there if I hadn't make you do that stupid PSA. It was careless." Her face reddened. "I'm just so, so sorry."
"It's okay, Margot," Erin said, placing a shivering hand on her friend's knee. Margot seemed on the verge of tears now. Erin felt deeply for her brave, loyal partner. She'd made a mistake, and it had put Erin in danger. But Margot had no way of knowing about the doctor in advance. Every other time Erin needed information, Margot had it, no questions asked. Erin smiled.
"It's okay, seriously," she said.
Margot sniffed. "I'm going to make it right."
"No, don't worry about it," Erin said.
"I'm going to find Todorov. And I'm going to get a cure for the poison."
Erin coughed and brought her hands to her chest. "No, Margot."
Margot stood up. "I know where he lives, Erin. I'm going to find him and make him pay."
"Margot, you can't," Erin said, her voice interrupted by coughs. "Stay here. We'll find him when I get better, I promise."
"I have to do this on my own," Margot said. "And you have to rest."
Margot pulled a pill from her pocket and brought it near Erin's face.
"This will help you sleep, Erin. Open wide."
"Margot! Don't!" Erin cried. But it wasn't difficult for Margot to pull away Erin's weakened arms and pry open her jaws. Erin felt the pill on her tongue, and then cold water rushing the tablet down her throat. She swallowed and coughed, looking at Margot in shock.
"Margot..." Erin mumbled, pointing her finger at her friend's face. "You..."
Her hand fell to her blanket with a soft thud. Her neck went slack, and her head turned slightly into her pillow. Her eyes closed. And then, after just fifteen seconds, Erin was snoring peacefully, completely unaware that Margot was leaving her, duffel bag in hand, the costume of the Black Bobcat tucked carefully within.
On to Chapter Nine
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