Frank stabbed on the emergency call button and forcing himself to stay calm, he stayed by his brother’s side; doing everything he can to reassure his panicking brother. Joe had started wheezing less than a minute ago, but now he could barely breathe, hitching painfully as his chest rose rapidly yet uselessly, his face red with pain and agony. Frank held Joe’s hand and stroked his brother’s sweaty forehead as Joe took in small, difficult sips of breath after another.

"It’s alright, Joe, it’s alright…"

Dr. Hudson rushed in, another doctor close behind her. Frank watched with dreadful anticipation as she carefully inserted a needle into a small bottle and as the last of the yellowish liquid disappeared into Joe’s forearm, to his relief, Joe began to relax, and his breathing returned to normal. Thank God, Frank thought, his heart still racing from the last scare.

After a while, Joe’s eyes fluttered open. Tiredly, Joe turned his head a little. His hand groped for the oxygen mask over his face and before Frank could stop him, Joe pulled it off. He took a couple of deep, painful breaths and when the pain in his chest subsided a little, Joe turned his head toward Frank.

"She’s gone, isn’t she?" Joe whispered, and immediately closed his eyes when a fresh burst of pain exploded in his chest. His lungs hurt. His throat hurt. His head hurt. Breathing hurt. And he’d just found out talking was impossible. But he had to know.

Frank nodded numbly. He didn’t know what else to say. He wasn’t as close to Tessa as Joe was but he could understand how Joe must feel. Angry, useless, helpless, clueless…he had been familiar with those awful feelings once. And he had no intention of going through the same experience again. And neither did Joe for that matter.

Frank’s heart sank when he saw the anguish in Joe’s eyes. For Joe it was even worse. At least Frank had the satisfaction of knowing that Joe had not met his death after all. But Iola had died for real. Automatically, his hand squeezed Joe’s.

"We’ll find her, Joe. We’ll find her." Frank could only pray that time was on their side. Not to mention luck. He had to start thinking soon, before it’s too late. There must be a hidden clue somewhere. There must be a way to get to Tessa in time. If she wasn’t dead already. If only solving mysteries is as simple as solving a Chemistry equation…Frank jolted in his seat. Chemistry!!! Damn!!

I can’t possibly compete in the quiz now, Frank thought frantically, remembering that he was supposed to represent the state in the National Chemistry quiz, which was just a couple of weeks away. Not in the middle of this murdering rampage!

"I’m tired…" A weak whisper suddenly brought Frank back to reality. Frank looked down at his brother and saw that Joe had closed his eyes again, his face so pale his eyelids were almost translucent.

"It’s okay, Joe. Just rest."

"Got to find Tessa…" Joe mumbled sleepily.

"We will," Frank said a little forcefully. As soon as I figure out where she is.

Frank helped place the oxygen mask over Joe’s nose so Joe could breathe easier. Frank waited for a few minutes and when he was certain Joe was asleep, he stood up. Frank had work to do.

A hand reached out for the knob on the other side of the door.

With a quick flourish motion, the hand swapped the hanging laminated piece of cardboard.

‘Please Make-up Room’ disappeared.

In its place now was ‘Please Do Not Disturb’.

Then the hand disappeared and the heavy oaken door swung shut with a slam.

Frank tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for someone to pick up the phone. Could it truly be a painkiller like what Craig had told Vanessa? Speaking of Vanessa, Frank was torn between the confidentiality between him and Vanessa and his loyalty to his brother. Joe had a right to know that Vanessa still had feelings for him. Maybe not now, Frank thought. I’ll tell him later. Whether Joe realized it or not, he needed Vanessa now more than ever.

"Hello, Dad?" Frank changed the receiver to his left ear and took out his notebook.

"Frank?" Fenton’s voice sounded extremely concerned. "What’s the matter? Is something wrong with Joe? Is he okay?"

"No, no, nothing’s wrong. He’s okay…He’s sleeping right now. And he even woke up for a while just now."

"That’s good," Fenton said. "Good thing you were there. With your mom gone on her volunteer work, and me with this investigation, we all depend on you, son. I wish I had been there."

Frank nodded. Then he spoke up. "That’s okay, Dad. Oh by the way, Dad, have the lab test results come in yet?"

"Yes, they have. Hold on, I’ll get the report."

Yes, Frank thought. At last. Now I can get some answers.

"Frank?" Then Fenton began to speak.

"Uhuh." Frank sandwiched the phone between his ear and shoulder and started scribbling furiously. He could feel excitement growing inside him.

"Uhuh." Frank’s eyes narrowed as he digested what his father was saying. Could it be- He stopped writing.

"Dad, are you sure?" Frank ignored the hospital attendants and visitors walking past; he was too caught up in the conversation. "Then how come they couldn’t identify the drug in his blood?"

After a while, Frank began to nod in understanding. "Right."

"Yeah, I guess so. Don’t worry, Dad. We’ll be fine." A pause. "Uhuh."

Frank then said goodbye to his dad and replaced the receiver, his mind whirring furiously. He looked at what he had scribbled on the pad and frowned in confusion. Then his eyes went wide, and abruptly he broke into a run.

Frank had actually rushed home and came back after getting his laptop and a couple of Chemistry revision books. But the quiz was the farthest thing at the back of his mind right now. Now he was deeply engrossed he didn’t realize that Joe had stirred from his long sleep.

"Do you really have to bring that thing everywhere you go?" A soft whisper broke through Frank’s concentration. Frank looked up from his laptop and broke into a sheepish grin. It was already late and still he was working on his computer.

"Hey."

"Hey," Joe whispered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He still looked much too pale for Frank’s liking but at least he wasn’t wheezing anymore. The doctor had even told him that Joe could go home the following day, which was great news. "What time is it?"

Frank squinted in the dark at the clock on the far wall. "11.30. It’s late. How do you feel?"

"Okay. A little tired. A little achy." With an effort, Joe propped himself up on his elbows. He waited tensely for the familiar sharp pain to stab his chest anytime but thankfully, it didn’t come.

"Any news of Tessa yet?" There was so much hope in Joe’s eyes that Frank didn’t have the heart to say no.

"No, but I do have some other information. You up for it?"

Joe sighed, leaning his head back against the bedpost. Weariness tugged at his every muscle and he felt so tired, he felt as if he’d just run a 10-km marathon. He was hoping for some good news. Wait a minute. Information?

"Information?" Joe perked up. Frank had to smile at that. He knew Joe would be interested. No matter how tired, how hurting he was, Joe would never lose interest in a case. But Tessa’s life was at stake here and Frank knew Joe would do anything to find her.

Frank carefully lifted his laptop off his lap and placed it on Joe’s bed. He terminated the Internet connection and gently disentangled the wire connecting it to his cell phone, laying them also on Joe’s bed.

Frank began to tell him everything; Vanessa’s visit, the vial she’d found in Craig’s backpack, and most importantly what their father had told him. Frank turned the screen of the computer toward him and Joe’s eyes went wide.

"Proxcel? What’s that?"

"It’s a kind of stimulant wonder drug, developed by a group of scientists back in Sweden. It is said to accelerate your mental growth, enhances your mental abilities…Information is carried along a neurone as an electrical impulse, right? But with this wonder drug, you can double the speed, meaning you would be twice as quick in thinking as any normal person. And it will also encourage more blood flow through the blood capillaries to your brain."

Joe was still confused. "So?"

"Don’t you get it? With this drug a baby as young as three months old can speak and a 7-year-old boy can have the IQ of a 30 year-old!!!"

"Wait, don’t tell me…Craig had been taking this Proxcel prior to his death?"

"Exactly."

"And had Vanessa fascinated by his wonderful, wonderful brain," Joe said bitterly, and shook his head as the news sank in. "But why did it take so long for them to identify the drug?"

"Because there were traces of more than one toxin in him when he died," Frank answered matter-of-factly.

Joe’s forehead wrinkled. "Meaning?"

"Exactly what I meant. That was why they couldn’t identify it at first; they got mixed up in his blood."

"Hmm." Joe sank back against his pillow, deep in thought. Then he sat up. "You said that the drug was developed by a group of Swedish scientists? The MURDERED scientists?"

Frank nodded grimly. "Jord|gubbe Korporation. And that’s not all."

"What do you mean?" Joe asked fearfully. Please, don’t say Tessa’s involved in this, he begged silently. Please, don’t. "What else?"

"The wonder drug? It’s illegal and has been banned right after the scientists were murdered."

"Side-effects?" Joe guessed. He began to get a very bad feeling in his gut.

"You guessed it. This so-called wonder drug is not as wonderful as it seems. It attacks the brain-cells which control all rationality and humanity. It makes you suicidal, psychotic and in other words, crazy. Research showed that human subjects had developed a tendency to inflict-"

"Torture," Joe finished for him, realizing the hidden truth at last. Shock and horror dawned on him as the meaning of Frank’s words hit him like a punch to the stomach.

"In other words, it makes you a killer."