Page 115 of Whispers in the Dark
“Page James Blackwell, Neurosurgery, STAT.” Tristan keyed it into his waist-worn telephone.
As nurses swarmed the room, Charlotte stumbled until she was leaning against the wall. She was pale, holding on to the black case like it was the only thing anchoring her to the floor.
Tristan caught her eye. “You did everything right,” he said gently. “We’ve got him. We’re doing everything we can.”
Her voice shook. “Elias gave me this. He said it was the only way to bring him back.”
She shoved the case into Tristan’s hands.
Moments later, the door flew open again—Ethan, Brad, Noah and Graham stormed in. No words, just raw urgency in their eyes. Noah wrapped an arm around her. Ethan stood on her other side.
Paul turned to them. “He’s critical. Unconscious. We’re cooling him down, started labs. But there’s something else—we’ve found spinal punctures. Multiple.”
“Intentional?” Brad asked, voice sharp.
Tristan rejoined them, holding up an image of the portable x-ray. “Yes,” he said grimly. “And worse, there’s a foreign object. Two, actually. Looks like they embedded electrodes at the base of the skull and another at the bottom of his spinal cord.”
Paul added, “They’re pulsing with some kind of bioelectric signature. Not passive. They’re active.”
Noah’s voice was tight. “You’re saying someone hardwired him?”
“We don’t know what for,” Tristan said. “Yet.”
Then he moved back to the table and opened the med kit from Elias. Six vials. Color-coded caps. One folded note. “God, it had to be written by a physician.”
Tristan read it aloud.
[PHASE 1 – STABILIZE] → BLS (basic life support) → Cooling blanket, Foley cath. → IV Ringer’s lactate — NO PO intake x10 days — UO: only ~75cc in last 48h (!!)
?? Meningitis — most likely. → Spinal tap required RED CAP — subdermal, btwn C2–C3, 1cc only → Wait for fever break → IF NO BREAK W/IN 2 HRS → DEATH.
Monitor airway. → Likely need for INTUBATION
If fever breaks: → BLUE CAP – 5cc – SLOW IV + Suction ready — fluid response ↑ DO NOT GIVE EPI → Will cause neural cascade → fatal collapse
→ Then GREEN CAP: 10cc + 40cc NS → Infuse @ 1cc/min → ↑ seizure risk — Use Ativan ONLY — DO NOT proceed to Phase 2 if seizing
[PHASE 2 – RECOVERY] → YELLOW CAP – 3cc SLOW IV → Watch for signs of consciousness → Then: PURPLE – 10cc IV push → Will trigger confusion / combative — Restraints may be needed — Keep verbal cues → “You’re safe,” “You’re okay” → Will eventually calm → sleep follows
[PHASE 3 – RECONNECTION] → ORANGE CAP 20cc reconstituted in 500cc D5W → MUST change IV tubing FIRST → Infuse @ 15cc/hr → ANCHOR MUST BE PRESENT
→ Anchor = Charlotte Everhart → Trust confirmed. Emotional link strong. → Level of return tied to her presence. → “Loves her” — per Gideon’s final interview notes
Additional Notes: — Unknown compound x3 injected into spinal canal pre-transfer → Effects UNKNOWN → May alter response to protocol above → Still, non-treatment = certain death
Wish I could give more. This is everything. God help you if you're reading this.
— S. Vance [Initialed in corner: SV]
Tristan looked up, stunned. “Elias didn’t just smuggle him out. He wants to save him.”
“We start with the spinal tap,” Paul said.
The medical team prepped Alex for the procedure. Tristan held him in place as Paul inserted the spinal needle. Both doctors’ breath caught. The spinal fluid was a fluorescent yellow.
“Son of a bitch, they tagged the fluid.” Paul filled five vials for testing.
“Okay, red cap.” Tristan drew up the fluid then swabbed the base of Alex’s neck. “This is going to hurt.”
