They called it the the Lazarus Project and yet the derivative hope had nothing to do with the story found in John 11 where a teacher of the scripture supposedly raised a beloved friend from the dead. The man that lay before her was not someone she knew, nor really cared for and yet he was the first of his kind, a new beginning the government might call it.

Her passion lay in the understanding that might come from the moment that stood just before her, for it they were successful in creating a human from donor parts and bringing life to his scarred and stitched together bodice, they would in fact have determined the secret to creating an army of non-humans that might be further studied for military purposes. She hoped to be a part of something so great, but her cause wasn't noble, but the desire to be the first to pull of something so incredible - something unheard of.

The heaven's poured out tears from on high as the trees beat upon the small wooden shack that they'd been given to work in, the inside fortified with metal coating, but the outside giving the appearance of a place you'd rather not go into. The storm just beyond them promised to pour its torrential downpour into the belly of their lab once the roof was opened, but using the elements to wash away the sins committee from only moments ago didn't seem like such a bad thing.

Thunder shook the small room she and Matthew stood in, a few feet between them where the bed stretched out and the lifeless creation that stained the floor and their fingers in crimson lay. She looked up and him, using the back of her wrist to move a strand of chestnut hair from her face, her lovely skin smeared with blood that had cooled and darkened without effort. She smiled, her lip quivering just a bit as she caught his gaze, assurance was hers to put on display, not his. He'd done his job well and she would be sure he stood next to her as they won the Noble Prize for bringing peace to the land and creating a new breed of soldier that allowed human males and females to remain where they belonged - at home.

"Are you ready to see if it worked, Matt? All this time and effort and this might be our moment of truth." She smiled, her white teeth perfect on full display. "I do believe after several failures that we've gotten the serum down to the correct dosage and with the storm raging just about that we'll find success. Believe with me for a moment that this is it."

She reached out and grasped his hand, squeezing and letting her eyes fill with wonder after two years of working tirelessly on the project together. She released his hand and let her palm press against the large chest below her, the body nude and quite grotesque, but the face masculine and handsome in appeal. She let her eyes wonder across her creation, a bit of trepidation pulled at her at the slightest thought that perhaps God did exist and that he would not approve at all of what she stood at the precipice of doing. The thought dissipated quickly and she turned to reach for the syringe, a nod to her assistant to pull the levy to open the roof and get ready to lift the bed into the sky. She touched the subject make-shift bicep and sunk the needle deep into his throat before whispering, "now..."

Mathew Edwards was literally just the guy from the mail room a mere two years ago at Bartox Industries. He wanted to get into Grad School to get his PHD and to teach science, but Matthew couldn't afford Grad School on his own so he took a job in the mail room at Bartox Industries. It was a modest beginning but it was a foot in the door and he did what he could to rub elbows with some of the elite of the scientific community. Unfortunately this did nothing to get Matthew anywhere close to his dream of Grad School or making a name in the scientific community for himself.

Then came the opportunity to serve as an intern under Dr. Sara Bosworth. She was not only a brilliant doctor and one of the real rising stars in the medical field, but to Mathew she was a Goddess. He applied for the internship and jumped through every hoop and went above and beyond in most cases to win the internship with Dr. Bosworth. When he was awarded the internship that made the grind and humiliation of being a mail room lackey just a bad dream. The committee said that if this a successful internship this was is ticket to any Grad School in the country. The Grad School component along with working with Dr. Bosworth was a dream come true for Matthew.

Matthew knew that this was being under the banner of Barotx Industries, but the Government was the ones calling all the shots. Mathew didn't care about the politics of the Government or Private Industry this was crossing a threshold of medical science and he was working with someone that he was amazed by. For all he cared this could've been run by the Russians with the Coca-Cola company, but at this moment two years of frustration and set backs were about at come to an end. Then came the moment she reached and squeezed his hand Mathew felt a surge of hormonal rush like never before. He wasn't able to suppress the smile that crossed his lips. If Dr. Bosworth asked later Matthew would say it was because of the experiment. He replied to her, "With all my heart Sara..." Matthew shook his head and said, "I mean Dr. Bosworth. I believe."

As he saw her break the skin with the syringe Matthew turned his attention to the monitors behind the glass enclosure and said, "Serum is in the blood stream. Storm will be at it's apex in 2 minutes. Optimal lighting field impact for the area in 3 minutes and counting Dr. Bosworth."

He turned back to Dr. Bosworth and said, "Ready to begin final phase induction of Project L." Matthew pressed a button and the platform they stood upon raised itself to the Heavens as the Heavens let loose their judgement upon them.

Sara nodded and lifted a small recorder to her lips, her voice cracking with energy and excitement. "Test subject 0001 of the Lazarus project has been completed in muscular and bone structure and tested for connective tissue and vein connections. The dextrium has been injected into the jugularis externa and we're at optimal lighting field impact in two minutes."

She paused the tape as the structure above them began to give way, her hand holding onto her subject arm as it lifted toward the opening. Allowing her arm to stretch as far up as it could, her eyes filled with trepidation as lightening struck the metal structure and she made a small sound of fear, moving back as the energy raced around the large structure of their creature. Backing up a little turned her movement and walked quickly toward Matthew as the night sky became the ceiling above them, rain pouring upon them and causing her to shiver.

"I honestly never thought we'd make it to this point. What is this works, Matt? What will he be like? Will be have the capability to reason with him? Will he have a functioning brain that allows for decision making and motor skills?" She stopped talking as lighting hit the table again, sparks flying around them as the body jolted and a loud grunt was heard from above there head.

"Dear God..." she whispered and rushed toward the lever, her hands shaking with more fear than anything else, thought she'd never admit it. She pulled the silver rod and took a step back, her gaze locked on the trashing figure above him. "I do hope that restraints hold him in place."

A cold wind blew in as the table stopped before her, the creature fully awake and shaking as if being tortured in the most horrible way possible. She pressed her hand to his chest and whispered, "shhhh" and for a moment he stopped and looked to her, his dead eyes full of something not from the current world and yet not funny human. "Matthew... we've done it."

Matthew felt his heart race as everything around him was happening in slow motion and yet in the blink of an eye. It was being in the moment and yet the moment passing them by. Matthew was snapped back into reality when Dr. Bosworth called him "Matt" at that moment he felt as though his heart would break out of his chest it was a nearly perfect moment for him until Dr. Bosworth began to raise her questions. These were questions Matthew hadn't considered because if he were honest he didn't think they would get this far. He thought that funding would run out, or the Government's involvement in a project like this would get people distrusting them again when Watergate wasn't even a decade old.

Matthew replied with very shaky confidence, "We'll deal with that assuming he survives the initial burst of energy. Keep in mind dextrium is unrefined and unpredictable. Let's just see how this phase goes."

As Dr. Bosworth tried to calm the creature Matthew said while never taking his eyes off the creature, "Lowering back into the lab." As the table gave a slight jerk Matthew couldn't stop staring at this new life. Not out of wonder or fascination but out of pure fear this creature felt like every night mare out of Matthew's childhood suddenly right in front of him. The internship began to feel like a nightmare, and running away from this place with or without Dr. Bosworth was what every fiber of his being was crying out for.

As the table finally stopped Matthew walked over to a table and filled a syringe full of cyanide and kept it by his side at all times. He walked over behind Dr. Bosworth and said, "Dr. Bosworth it's time to release the straps."

He gave her the syringe and said, "I'll get the top you get the lower section. I'll undo mine and give you the signal then you can undo yours."

Matthew undid his never taking his eyes away from the creature. Then something happened the creature began to give him a smile, and Matthew smiled back. The creature's smile was somewhat crooked, but it was there. Matthew started to undo the straps he did the right hand and said, "Dr. Bosworth we might be ahhhhhhhhh!" Suddenly the creature had reached up grabbed Matthew's neck and was choking him with one hand. Matthew's entire head was a shade of red and purple that couldn't be found in a Crayola box. Then the creature just flicked his and then came the sickening sound of a snap, and the creature let Matthew fall to the floor. Matthew's lifeless body laid there as he struggled to catch a breath. Matthew looked at Sara and mouthed the words, "I love you" and with that he just stared at her.

"No..no, no, no, no..." Sara screamed the same thing over and over as Matt feel from the creatures grasp, the movements occurring much to quickly as the world began to spin precariously around her. Nothing like death had ever crossed her mind and though Matthew had a few moments of life left in him, he was fading fast, the sound of his neck begin broken forever to haunt her dreams. She rushed across the room to kneel beside him, her arms pulling him to her as he struggled to breath through the pain, his eyes rolling back in his head. He was much to young to lay in her lap dying and yet here they were and this tragedy was her fault. She apologized over and over between the no's she mumbled as the large mass above her shook and struggled against the remaining constraints. Tears rushed down her lovely face, her black mascara leaving a remnant of sadness etched along her alabaster skin. She sat there until she could gain her thoughts and carefully laid Matthew to the side, her body shaking with terror and rage.

Lifting herself on shaky legs and moved toward the other side of the table and screamed again and again at the monster that had no conscience and yet seemed to be paying very close attention to her, his moments having stopped altogether while something like concern swept across his bastardized features. She felt herself starting to crack and reached for the needle, plunging in into the subjects arm and releasing the fluid that would soon kill her dreams along with the rest of her research. To be responsible for someones death was too much to bear, and everything she'd done to this point lead up to the moment when Matt lost his life. She watched the creature struggle and cry out to her before slipping into nothingness again. She remembered not calling her government contact, or that she sat in the corner for two days alone until they got there. She didn't remember how Matt got buried or who told his folks, but only that she was reinstated at a new hospital after several months of therapy and time healed wounds and killed dreams for her like anyone else.

---

Two Years Later

---

"Doctor Bosworth, Doctor Bosworth, you're needed stat in OR C. Code Blue..."

She heard the announcement mid-surgery and looked to her partner, Dr. Marx, nodding and moving back from the patient who's head was partially opened. Marx knew that he was up to complete her work and he was more than thrilled to be associated with her talent no matter what job he was given. She quickly scrubbed out and raced down the hospital corridors to the OR, moving into room C and scrubbing in quickly, the woman on the table thrashing back and forth as Sara pressed the mic, "Give her 10 cc of morphine and keep her awake. She cannot go under for the assessment or we will lose her."

Dr. Kelly Scott strolled into the surgeons' break room as though he owned the place. Wearing dark shades, three days of growth, a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt with a white dress shirt over it, and a pair of scuffed up Nikes carrying a series of folders he said, "Ladies and Gentlemen the Great Scott has returned from a week in the land of Mai-Tais and year around 70 degrees." He chuckled at the end and smiled as the few who were in there looked up from either their reading, meals, or the other conversations.

Scott exchanged hi-fives and hellos with everyone. One of them asked, "Yo Scottie! How was attending the Pacific Northwest Surgeon's conference once again?"

Scott sat down and said, "I'll tell ya Dave. Oh my the pain and suffering that we had to go through for a week. Up and going for Breakfast at 8, lectures at 8:30, and having to suffer through them until 10 am when the Golf Courses open. Wow! Some of the longest 90 minutes of my life."

A young lady walked up to him and asked, "Did you bring me back Tom Selleck like I asked?"

Scott shook his head and replied, "Sorry Belinda. Couldn't pull it off." He pulled out a folder from the stack and said, "But I hope this will do."

Dr. O'Neil took the folder and opened it up. Her mouth slowly dropped open as she said, "I don't believe it. How did you do it Kelly?" Belinda was holding an autographed photo of Tom Selleck and Scott standing together. The autograph read, "To Belinda, wish you were here-- Aloha Tom Selleck."

He replied, "Well I got out late one morning and everyone else was paired up, so I had to hope for another group who needed a forth to show up. About twenty minutes later there was a group that needed. One of the members was the casting director, and we got to talking and hit it off because we both like the 49ers. I also mentioned how you and I fans of the show. Later that night there was an all access pass delivered to my room to be on set the next day. I went there after the lecture the casting director showed me around and introduced me to Tom. Really a great guy and I had great time that day. The house they film at isn't as big as it is on TV though."

She threw her arms around her and said, "Thank you Kelly! Thank you!"

Kelly smiled and said, "You're welcome Belinda." Kelly stood up and pulled out a tie from a folder and quickly scanned the other files he had with him, They were patient reports from the doctors who were covering for him while he was in Hawaii, and he nodded and said, "Good deal no one died. Can't wait to hear some of these stories."

Just then someone came through the door and said, "Hey Dr. Bosworth is on her way to OR C code blue looks like a thrasher too."

Scott looked at everyone and said, "Hey let's go see Wonder Woman save a life."

Scott was on his way to the OR theater, and whistled "Pretty Woman" on his way. He knew of Sara Bosworth and had nothing against her. Kelly didn't pay her much mind, because they didn't really run in the same circles. Although he had to admit two things one she was beautiful, and two she was one of the best surgeons he had ever seen hence the nickname for her. Scott started to climb the stairs to the viewing room, but had a change of thought.

He quickly went into the changing room and put on a set of scrubs, scrubbed in, and gowned up. Scott walked in and heard Sara's command for morphine. The assistant looked around and Scott grabbed a syringe and inserted it into her arm. Once he made the injection he grabbed two liquid ice packs and slammed them on the ground. They were now open as he put one on each side of her head and held her head in C-spine control. He said, "The ice should keep her awake."

He shouted, "Name!" and the nurse said, "Barbara Campbell."

Kelly nodded and said, "All-right Barbara we're here to help you. Just stay calm and we can do our jobs, and you can help us by not thrashing about like hammerhead in a boat."

In a reassuring voice he said, "Easy now. Easy there." Just then he started singing "Tiny Bubbles" and this got her attention as she calmed down largely thanks to the morphine.

Kelly shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile, "A week in Hawaii what can I say?"

He looked at Sara and said, "Hello again Dr. Bosworth. Good call with the morphine." He nodded and said, "Okay what's next? What do you need from me?"

Sara continued to speak with the nurse beside her as she assured that she was prepared for the surgery, the woman beneath her thrashing back and forth. Where Sara was quite caring, she had very little patience for movement that might put someone at a greater risk. Her job wasn't to comfort those on her table, but to save their lives and she worked hard every moment she was in her scrubs to ensure that regardless of what was asked of her or the challenge presented - she brought her A game. She'd yet to loose a patient after returning to the hospital, but she knew in her heart of hearts that her desire to save everyone was simply a byproduct of the guilt of not saving Matthew.

She looked up at the nurse and growled a little, the look on her lovely face was one that few people ignored. "Get another surgeon in here and tighten down the straps on her arms."

No sooner that she'd spoken did another surgeon walk in, one she was not expecting, nor would she have chosen. Kelly was as brilliant as she and quite a god in the OR, but his acknowledgment of his gifts and forever-expanding ego left her deflated in wanting to know him better. She looked up and nodded at his words, the woman beneath her calming a bit as the ice was brought in and repositioned around various pressure points on the woman's body. The OR was a buzz with activity and yet Sara was right in the zone for what needed to be done. She glanced up at Kelly and let her eyes touch his, the rest of her face covered in a small blue mask.

"Hello, Dr. Scott. I should say the same of the ice and your soothing singing abilities." She couldn't help but grin a little before continuing on, the small mask shifting slightly as she moved toward the head of the patient. "I'm going to let you watch her pressure and heart beat as I assess the trauma to her head. Once we stabilize her we'll put her under and move into surgery. The team before us brought her back from the code blue and now we'll need to alleviate the pressure on her brain and determine what to do once we get in there. Thank you for joining me."

She turned her attention to the young woman, her fingers moving softly along the scalp as her eyes followed a large black bruise, the damage obviously enough to cause the woman's heart to stop and yet she seemed to respond to the calming soft singing coming from Dr. Scott. Interesting. Sara looked up at the monitor beside her before nodding at the nurse who was starting to administer anesthesia.

"Miss Kristy, you'll start to feel sleepy. Just relax yourself into it and when you wake up I'll be right here and we'll have Dr. Scott sing a bit more to you." She leaned over to make sure the woman was still cognizant and watched as sleep took her. "We're in go... saw."

The Surgery Department was the most competitive of all the departments in the hospital. Dr. Richards the chief surgeon was a great surgeon, but now he was about 3 years past his prime and not many people had the guts to call him on it, and those that did found themselves dealing with a power mad has-been. It was only a matter of time before the board stepped in and the inside word was the job was Scott's to lose, but Bosworth was starting to make a name for herself. Not a lot was known about her personal life or what she did before she came to the hospital, but there was no denying her talent. Scott would never say it publicly but if he lost out to Bosworth he would be okay with it actually. For all her business first and at times lack of being in on all the jokes around the department Scott respected Sara's skill because watching her work was like watching a bird take flight or an artist paint. It was watching something that was meant to happen in nature and there were no words necessary to describe what was going on.

He listened to Sara's instructions to monitor the vitals and all he said was, "You got it." Scott knew this was Sara's operation and to usurp her authority would not only make him look like a bully, but Richards would get wind of it and if that happened it was all but assured that Sara would be crushed by him. Scott wasn't about to let that would-be Napoleon run over Sara. Not out of a sense of friendship or loyalty to Sara, but the fact that Scott couldn't stand Richards and Sara had things well in hand at this time.

He heard her make his quip about singing a bit more and even Scott had to smile at that. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "It was the only thing I could think of at the time." Scott looked around the O-R and said, "Someone go get me the words to 'Blue Hawaii' in case I need them."

Scott began to survey the vitals and said, "Vitals are good and strong and within normal limits." He looked over at the scan results and said, "Be careful. Looks like there's embolism just beneath the cerebellum. If that thing ruptures Kristy will be having conversations with oatmeal."

Scott looked back to Sara and said, "You got this all the way Dr. Bosworth." He looked back at the nurse and said, "Bring me her chart." Scott scanned it quickly and said with great sarcasm, "Terrific." He looked back at Sara and said, "This one is Richards' patient and he left for the day without going over anything else." Scott shook his head said, "100 to 1 he comes storming in here after you're finished, and does everything to make you the villain in all this." Sara vs Nelson Richards would be a slaughter for Sara's standing in the hospital, but Kelly said, "I'll back you up all the way, I promise"

Scott could excuse a lot of things but incompetence that nearly led to a death wasn't one of them. He knew it was time to take Richards down, and he also sensed this would be a good chance to get to know Sara better. He was convinced there was a shared interest in not only surgery, but science as well. There was a project he was being recruited for and he thought Sara might be a good person to bounce things off of.

The surgery went well and Kelly did more than his share of the work, letting Sara depend on someone in her OR for the first time in longer than she cared to remember. She worked solo and rarely spoke with the other doctors or nurses unless it was work related. Her old life of being everyone's favorite and caring to be involved in the movement of the hospital was long since dead. To allow someone in meant that the subject of the past would come up or a personal history discussion of where they'd been and she just wasn't interested in lying or trying to skirt the issue. She could honestly play it out in her head where someone asked about her past and she blurted out, "I'm a murderer" without another breath being taken. It was too risky and the government had shut her down and basically forced her to take enough therapy so that everything from her former life was package tightly in a box and left to rot in the confines of her skull.

She finished up and walked to the small room outside the OR, pulling off her mask and gloves and starting to scrub out as she nodded to Kelly, "Thank you for your help in there, Dr. Scott. You stepping up to assist made things that were seemingly complicated easier and I appreciate it." She finished washing and turned to grab a towel, the sound of someone poking their head in the back of the room caused her to jump.

"Sara, when you're done I'd like to see you in my office." Jeremy Bosworth gave them a quick look-over and walked out.

"Fuck..." she whispered, not wanting to deal with him or any of this drama. "You were right. Richard isn't going to be happy and yet we basically just saved him from losing one of his patience thanks to his inconsistency in performing the smaller tasks of his job."

She walked to the door, looking over at Kelly, "You don't need to come if you don't want to. I've jumped in the rink with Richard many times and I believe that he's more pissed about my unwillingness to join him at dinner than me stepping in a saving his ass every other day."

She left it at that and walked toward his office, anger burning in her chest increasingly hotter and hotter as she reached him. She took a shaky breath as she knocked and heard him tell her to enter. He had too much power and knew nothing of her past or her abilities, but looked at her as if she were his next great conquest. She slipped into the room and took a few steps forward to stand before him.

"You wanted something?" Her voice was professional and yet strong with the resolve that she'd not be taking any flack from him in the slightest.

He stood and leaned over the table, his look menacing. "That was my patient, Sara. You had no right to call diagnosis on her and perform a surgery without contacting me."

"It's not my job to pick up the phone and call you back from prancing around the town while someone is dying. They called a code blue and I ran to assist. Please do tell me when the last time you stopped to check a chart for your name as the attending physician was when someone was dying on one of our tables." She paused and jumped back in, "Oh that's right... you're never here when they call a code blue."

He held up his hand to stop her. "If this is about me seeing Rachel I can explain."

She scoffed and started to blast him harder when she heard the door behind her open and close. "This has nothing to do with anything other than you calling me in your office to berate me after I saved a life. Put it in my file and send me a bill."

Scott was still concerned about Sara going into face Richards alone. He had a feeling that Sara might be able to handle herself, but there were also stronger people with longer careers than hers that he saw Richards napalm in a matter of seconds. Many of them were lucky if they still had any kind of career in a hospital cleaning bedpans, or if they had any self-esteem left.

Scott merely said, "I gotta lotta patients to check on. Catch ya later." As he started to walk away he looked back at Sara and said, "By the way. Great work in there as always. You're a credit to this place...." he smirked and said, "Wonder Woman." Sara reminded him so much of the actress who played her, but more importantly she lived up to that nickname. Sara had more natural skill and talent than anyone else Scott had ever seen, except of course the guy in the mirror.

As Scott began to make his rounds he went by the break room to pick up his tie, but then noticed something that made him concerned. Just down from the break room was Richards' office and there was conspicuous absence. He noticed that Richards' secretary was absent from her desk. Scott didn't know everything about the hospital but he knew that Richards' secretary would sooner wet her dress than leave that desk. Unless asked by him so that she couldn't be called to testify to anything that might've been said.

Scott said under his breath, "Oh hell." He took a deep breath and said, "Well why not? I didn't want to have a career in medicine anymore." With that he took off to the office and opened the door and closed it just in time to hear Sara lay into Richards about sending him a bill.

He then saw Richards stand up and say, "Young lady your mouth just wrote a check you can't even think of cashing. You are history Sara Bosworth. That's right I didn't call you doctor because after I make two phone calls your career in medicine is all over."

Scott said, "Okay that's it." He stood next to Sara and said, "You're not calling anyone except maybe the board of directors to announce your retirement."

Richards glared at Scott who said, "Dr. Scott if you wish to continue practicing medicine in this Hemisphere I suggest you walk away now."

Scott shook his head said, "Wrong answer Nellie. You see the last three years you've been skating by on your reputation. All the while you've created more widowers, widows, and orphans than the Black Plague and Small Pox on their best day." He glanced over to Sara and said, "Or is it their worst day? I'm confused." He looked back to Nelson and said, "The records speak for themselves. Not to mention last month your hands shook so bad in the OR Marx thought you were gonna cut off one of his fingers. You play politics and call in every favor you have just so you can make it to the next two years."

Richards still glared at Scott but there was a softening in his glare almost as though he was afraid. Scott noticed this and knew it was time to go for the knockout. Scott said, "That's right so you can say you were Chief Surgeon longer than anyone else and get a bonus payment in your pension every month. You laud the reputation of the department that you over see while standing on the backs of men and women who do the actual cutting and work. I can't remember the last time we saw you at a training session or doing an overnight shift."

Richards took a deep breath and said, "You two have the right to make these judgments because you are the Golden Children of this department right now. I know full well i could take either one of you in front of the board of directors." He sat down and looked at both Sara and Kelly and said, "But both of you together,,,: he shook his head and said, "I don't have a chance ,and I know full well since I fired the first shot in this little battle of ours you two will fire the next one and it won't be pretty for me."

For the first ever Dr, Nelson Richards sat in his chair beaten. He looked at Sara and said, "I won't make mention of this in any reports. You saved a patient and you should be commended for that Dr. Bosworth, but my pride..." he shook his head and then said to Scott, "This chair will be yours soon enough. I wish I could say congratulations but again my pride..." He looked at both of them and said, "One day one of you or the two may make breakthroughs in medicine, but be careful you don't start crossing lines that you know full well should never be crossed. We are doctors not Gods. That is a hard lesson to accept I hope you two are more gracious about it than me."

Richards cut on his typewriter and said, "Now if you two will leave I have a letter of retirement to compose, and I'd prefer to do this alone."

Scott looked at Sara and motioned to her that they should leave. For a moment that Scott had waited so long for the demise of Dr. Nelson Richards Scott actually felt like he just watched a patient die as he left the office.

Sara had a million thoughts and reactions run through her mind, but swallowed it all and turned to walk out of Nelson's office. Kelly had handled him well and yet Sara had it under control herself. The only reason Nelson acting like a complete tyrant was because people let him. If he'd taken her to the board she could've easy proven her own innocence and left him bankrupt, but instead he was going to retire quietly. She let her gaze move to Kelly before responding through clenched teeth.

"I had that handled and although I know you thought you were helping me... you simply continued to reinforce his horrid behavior. He isn't God... none of us are." She made a sharp turn into the small coffee bar and pulled a large styrofoam cup from the dispenser, filing it up and growling with anger.

So many people took power from those around them and used every means to push themselves alone above the crowd, bankrupting commeradity and leaving the state of things around them in disarray. If they were never made to swallow their own medicine or take a good look in the mirror, they would never change. Her change came in the way of blood on her hands and screams that resounding in her ears for years and years to come. Her stomach lurched at the thought of Matthew and how he'd lost color before her eyes.

Her memories played a dangerous game with her conscious ability to remain sane and most days she figured that it was just a matter of time before the white padded walls found residence around her. She sipped the coffee and took a seat in a plastic orange chair, her forearms coming to rest on the white clinically clean table before her. She looked up and shook her head at Kelly before running her fingers through along the top of her head in an effort to keep her hair pulled back and out of her face.

"I'm just spent. I hate him and people like him and cannot began to understand why anything would be more precious that sustaining life." She sighed with a heavy heart and looked down in the dark murky sway of her coffee. "To loose someone is horrid and he doesn't even care anymore... I'm not sure he ever did."

Scott in a way to feel bad that he stepped in and did the slugfest with Richards, because Sara was right she had it under control but there was that nagging voice of what might happen if she lost the control.

Scott fixed himself a pepsi and sat in front of Sara. He said, "I know you could handle him on your own, and maybe my interfering was uncalled for. However when I saw that his secretary was away from her desk, a sight rarely seen around here, I was worried he might say or do something that if word got out you could pay for it in the end. I was going in there mainly so that you could have a witness if he tried anything." He took a drink and then said, "I've heard the horror stories of how he has destroyed careers with just one hearing, and I've seen it first hand in a couple of cases."

Scott leaned back and looked as a fog was starting to settle in over the mountains near the hospital. He took a deep breath and said, "In terms of him not caring. I don't know I can't make that judgement, but I think he just doesn't want to admit that he's lost his touch. That his best days in the O-R are behind him and that he is so defined by his career he doesn't know what to do." Scott took another drink and said, "It's a nightmare living in fear of the unknown. Not knowing whether the next situation is gonna expose your failings or what you're gonna do the day they stop carrying you around on their shoulders."

Scott turned to Sara and looked her in the eye. He said, "I know that at times I'm egotistical jackass, and I also know that you and I are not gonna run around in the same social circles anytime soon. All that being said though..." He shifted his eyes slightly up and then right back at her he said, "Sara, you are one of the most gifted surgeons I've ever seen, and I didn't want to take the chance on you not being here anymore. If I had a loved one who was in dire straits that needed cutting on and I could only pick one surgeon to do the job I'm picking you 10 times out of 10."

Scott nodded and said, "You really are better than advertised and we're damn lucky to have you here" Scott let out an exhale and said, "Look I need to ask you something."

He moved in a little closer and said, "I'm being recruited for a Government Project that could save hundreds maybe even thousands of lives eventually. I'm good I know that, but I'm not good enough to do this alone. I need someone equal to me in terms of skill to make it happen. I'm asking you are you interested in this?"

She listened quietly to Kelly explain himself and talk through his own thoughts on their once mentor, but anger with unrighteous indignation burned in her chest over Richards and his methods. She slowly felt the emotions start to dissipate, the exercise in the OR and the confrontation with the head surgeon of her department left her feeling exhausted both emotionally and physically. Kelly's comments about her performance and the level of her skill made her feel a little better, a smile touching the edge of her mouth as she finally stopped staring into her coffee cup and looked up at him.

"I appreciate you words of affirmation. I guess I didn't realize it'd been a while since I'd gotten any from someone." She took another sip of her cooling beverage as a few other people started to walk into the coffee bar, waving at Kelly and ignoring her. She turned her full attention on him and his off the wall question. The Government recruited him for a project. Sounds familiar.

The fact that he was closer to her and whispering let her know quickly that this wasn't a conversation that would be best heard by others and though she was completely set on turning him down, she couldn't deny that her curiosity had gotten the best of her. She sat her cup down and shook her head. "I've done projects for the government before and they never turn out well."

She glanced back up at him, her eyes moving across the handsome planes of his face and noting the same lines that started to press from his eyes, his lips and his brow. He was aging well and seemingly smiled a lot or gave much of his responses with facial expressions to match. In a different life - a different time - she might have liked him, might have enjoyed his company, but that time was passed. She knew that to remain steady and in control she alone could hold the knowledge of her past and the lack of interaction to her future. Just sitting with him made her miss friendship and that was her cue to walk away.

Standing up and stretching a little she turned her torso hard to allow her back to pop in hopes of gaining a little relief. She picked up her cup and walked toward the door, tossing in into the closest bin. "There is a small pub on 5th and Main. I believe it's called Jerry's. I need a nap and a shower and I'll see you there around eight tonight. Bring your information about this new adventure and I'll bring my "hell no" and we'll have a drink."

She laughed at her own lack of sincerity toward life in general as she walked into the hall, several people nodding at her and mentioning that she'd done a great job, but she heard none of them. She was lost in her memories of the past and the night was stormy above her head. Some days she could almost taste the raindrops on her tongue - somedays...

Scott watched as Sara walked away. He had to admit she even made the lab coat look good and Scott then shook his head to get his mind back on the conversation they shared concerning the Government Project he had been recruited for and her reaction.

There were several questions he had beyond "So what do you get against this project?" Such as what was the other projects that Sara had been involved with? With her skill why wasn't she more affirmed? She had been viewed as somewhat as outsider, and Sara didn't do much discourage that persona. If she was going to say "hell no" then why else was she agreeing to meet with him and for a drink no less? Could it be that the ice queen was starting to melt? Or was it a way to get to know the soon to be Chief Surgeon?

Scott shook his head and said, "Lots of questions Scotty, lots of questions indeed. Might need to call Tom Selleck to figure this mystery out."

Scott pushed the questions aside and did checked on his patients, and they were in more than capable hands so there was nothing to worry about there. Before he left work the word had already begun to circulate about the hospital that Nelson was retiring, and it was only a matter of when Scott was gonna be named Chief Surgeon. Scott downplayed it with modesty when asked about it saying, "If it happens I'll accept it and do the best that I can. Knowing I've got a the best staff surgeons west of the Mississippi working with me to save lives, and live up to the example that Dr. Richards set for our department."

Scott made his way to the parking garage and got in his black Trans-Am. He looked around and saw no one was there. Scott smiled at himself in the rear view mirror and wiggled his eyebrows.

Scott bolted back to his apartment and his wheels might've touched the ground twice. He got into his apartment and closed and locked the door. Knowing he was alone Scott yelled, "OH YEAH! YOU RULE KELLY SCOTT! HA HA HA HA!"

Scott saw that he had over 2 hours before he had to meet Sara and decided this was the perfect chance to workout. He burned through his workout like never before and when he was done Scott was even more pumped up. After a shower he slipped on his favorite jeans, a white dress shirt, a black "Members Only" jacket, and his favorite Nikes. Grabbing his folders he said to the fish in the aquarium, "Have a good one."

Scott arrived at the pub and sat in his car. He looked at his watch and saw he still had 15 minutes. Scott took a couple of deep breaths and said, "All right Scott. Take it easy and calm down. This ain't gonna be easy for her you already know that, so be a gentleman."

With that he entered the pub and found a booth in the back. Scott figured talking about a Government Project in public was bad enough he didn't need everyone hearing about it.

Scott sat in the booth and waited for Sara to arrive.

Her apartment much reflected her persona - a minimalist at best. It was white walled with a few pieces of furniture scattered about, nothing matching or really containing color. She cared not as she used it for what it was created for, namely a place to sleep and wash up and the rest of her days and nights were spent in the confines of the hospital. Dropping her bad she walked to the bathroom, stripping off stale clothes as she moved, her mind still lost to a nightmare that played in the recess of her memories. How she would give her talent or anything required of her to move out from under the strain of her past decisions. She slipped into the shower and let her mind rest while the water did it's job of relaxing her, the droplets so hot they burned as they raked down her alabaster skin.

Pulling her hair in a tight bun and slipping into some comfortable jeans, a long sleeve pale blue shirt and some loafers. She pulled a small wad of cash from her purse and her id, driving downtown with the windows down and the wind in her hair. A car full of young guys pulled up beside her at a light, the car revving to get her attention, but she stared at the light until one of them yelled, 'hey baby'.

She looked over at them, her lips a thin line of emotionless resolve. Her adolescence looked much like the picture represented in the friends shoved into the small Oldsmobile, laughter and good times in abundance. She nodded to the driver who'd called out to her and he motioned for the light. She felt her mouth crack into a smile. Just because she drove a GT didn't mean she was all about the speed the engine held and yet she'd bought it years before for that very reason. She used to live on the razors edge and enjoyed the freedom found in driving fast and reckless.

The light changed and she acted as if she were about to speak, her foot pressing down on the gas as the car tore off and left the boys in the dust. She felt herself utter, 'Please...' as if they had a chance. Pulling up to the pub she realized how busy it was and thought perhaps her choice of place was a bit too public, but anything more private would've been uncomfortable. Kelly was a handsome man and one in her previous life she'd already have captured, but things were different and she was emotionally unavailable. She slipped her keys in her pocket, a few people turning to oogle at the car or her, of which she cared not.

The waitress moved from the table where Kelly sat in the far corner, a smile on her lips as she looked up at Sara. "Can I get you a drink?"

Sara walked to the table and yelled over her shoulder, "Black and Tan please." She slid into the other side of the booth, the smell of jasmine on her skin and a soft smile on her mouth. "Been waiting long?"

Scott shook his head and said, "No not really maybe 10 minutes. Been people watching mainly I got three at the bar that are trying to hard to pick up the same woman, and two girls on the other side of the pub looking for Mr. right now. With as much make-up as they have on my guess they head home with the bartender and the stock boy."

He did everything to avoid one thing and that was looking to long at Sara, because she was stunning. She cleaned up very nicely as he ushered for her to have a seat. Scott said, "I'll wait for the waitress to bring us our drinks before I get down to business. Scott continued to look around and said, "This being a Government project I fully expect to see someone with dark glasses and an overcoat nearby."

The waitress the drinks and Scott took his double White Russian and said, "One thing I learned at UCLA was how to appreciate a fine White Russian." He raised his glass slightly and took a drink. Scott then pulled out from his back a folder and said, "This is classified. It was tried a couple years ago and I was brought into see if I could make it work this time. I've studied it and I know where they went wrong, but there are certain gaps and questions I've got that you may be able to work with me on."

He pushed the folder to Sara and in big red letters the front of the folder read "TOP SECRET: LAZARUS."

Scott said, "It's about saving lives. We'd have zero hospital interference and an unlimited budget and resources."

"Good," Sara said as she slipped into the booth, her eyes moving to the bar and a smile touching her lips as she laughed at his comment. "I don't know... that bartender seems to be more interested in the male at the other end of the bar than the makeup artists."

She turned her attention back to Scott, his face full of excitement and energy just exuding from him. It was nice for a change to be in the presence of someone that was fully alive and living in the moment, the warmth of his persona almost tangible. Some part of her wanted to slide into the other side of the booth just to see if she could warm herself and wake from the deep sleep she realized she'd slipped into somehow.

The waitress showed back up and sat their drinks down, Sara inspecting the beer before taking a long drink of it and sighing with relief. The fluffy white head of the beer sat on her lip and she cared not for being proper, licking it up and tilting her head as if to tell him to hold on a moment while she reveled in her drink. He was far too excited about whatever he'd wanted to discuss with her and where she prayed it was something about creating a new silicon based product or possibly testing a new radio frequency for their heart rate monitors, she felt a bit of the foreshadowing of what was to come as he slid the folder toward her.

She was quite proud of herself by her reaction seeing that her stomach flipped over and her heart faltered if only for a moment. She placed her hand on the folder and picked up the beer, sliding it back toward him and taking a long drink. "I'm not interested. I know this project and its not for me, Kelly. You should run screaming from it too." She sat back and let her eyes move across the bar, the shock of the moment hidden under the facade of someone trying to relax and doing a good job of it.

"You hungry? Let's get something to eat..." She waved the waitress over and asked for two menu's and another beer seeing that more than half of hers was gone.

Scott took a menu and ordered himself a BBQ Chicken Sandwich with fries and a tonic water. As Sara placed her order and the waitress left them Scott looked at the bartender and then at Sara and said, "I think you're right. I'm a bit rusty how I didn't see that I have no clue."

As he finished his first drink Kelly then realized something. He looked at Sara and said was very serious, "There are only 8 people on the planet who know about this project prior to this incarnation. 5 of them are on the committee, 2 are dead and 1 who's name has been left out of all the records."

Scott closed his eyes to take in the moment. There was so much he wanted to ask so much to say it was coming in waves to him but all he could do was open his eyes and say, "I'm not gonna ask you for details about what happened or what went wrong. The fact that you still are choosing to practice medicine says so much about you Sara. I understand you a lot more, not saying I've got it all figured out but I understand and that's all I'll say about that."

Kelly took out his wallet and pulled out a picture he handed it over to Sara and said, "No comments about the cheesy mustache and hair it was the 70's and we were on Spring Break in Cabo." It was a picture of a younger Kelly and a much younger Matthew. Scott swallowed a bit and said, "Matthew was a freshman when I was doing Grad Assistant work at UCLA part time to help pay my bills. He was so awkward and strange, but he had a good heart and was so smart." Kelly nodded and said, "A bit awkward to be kind, but I liked him, so I took him under my wing. Got him to lighten up and lose the suit and tie and I got him laid in Cabo too. He was the little brother I never had." Kelly was finding it hard to continue but did as he said, "Out of all the things I've ever done getting Matthew to be more sociable and watching him grow is my greatest accomplishment."

Scott finished his drink and looked Sara in the eye and said, "I was one of his references to get his job at Bartok industries, and I encouraged him to go for the internship. So yeah I had a hand in what happened too. Maybe we're not supposed to cross the line, but then again if we don't try then what's the point of our research? I won't do this without you, but I believe that both of us can make it happen. Your work my work together we can do it."

Scott then shook his head and said, "I'm sorry Sara I shouldn't be trying to talk you into this." He pushed his hands aside and said, "I won't bring it up again, and this conversation will never leave this table."

Sara ordered a bacon double cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate shake, the effects of the conversation to come leaving her feeling quite vulnerable and almost sick to her stomach. She needed something horrid for her to eat in an effort to try and not drown in the memories that played at the edge of her subconsciousness. She breathed out softly as he mentioned how many people were aware of the project and by his count, she was the one who failed.

What he said next about Matthew was a complete shocker to her. Her face registered no emotion as she tried to comprehend his utterances, putting two and two together and not ready to share her story, but feeling a small wave of agony from Kelly as he reminisced on his own part that was played in Matthews death. The truth of the matter was that no one was responsible. It was a job that Matt signed up for whether Kelly pushed him to do it or Sara welcomed in him. He was a grown man and made his own decisions. It could've been her neck that was snapped in half and yet it wasn't.

She felt a bit of relief for the first time in years, almost as if Kelly offering to share the burden of Matt's death would make things better - and it did. She picked up her drink and took a long slow sip, her eyes on Kelly as she debated what to say and what not to say. She wasn't interested in saving lives by building a monster that if let loose could kill everyone. Science was their slave master and they were bowing down to it just because there was a small ray of home.

The food arrived and she welcomed it, bowing her head for a small prayer before looking up at Kelly. "Don't be sorry. It's a compliment that you think me capable of helping you do something so secretive and yet I'm not the right person. I don't know what you think you've figured out, but the facts and circumstances are something I'm not going to discuss. My past is closed and sits in Matt's grave with him as far as I'm concerned. I'm not who I was and honestly that leaves me completely uninterested and wiling as a co-worker to tell you to run like hell from this. No good can come of it."

She picked up her burger and bit deeply into it, a groan leaving her mouth as she enjoyed the flavors that burst across her taste buds.

Kelly took a bite of his BBQ chicken sandwich and studied what Sara had told him. More than once she had told him to run like hell from this project. Maybe Kelly was being hopelessly naive when it came to this. There was more to this than Sara feeling a sense of guilt/remorse about what happened to Matthew. She had seen something that night something that humanity was not meant to see. Kelly was not an over religious person but he did believe that there was higher power in the universe and maybe they weren't meant to know what made it all work.

He took another drink of his tonic water and said, "Sara our combined research is asking a lot of questions, and to be honest after talking with you I'm not sure we should be answering them in this lifetime. In other words you've talked me out of this. I can't see anything good coming of this work at this point in our understanding of the human body. When I get home tonight I'll call my Government recruiter and tell them I'm out."

He took another bite and washed it down with another drink. Kelly said, "In terms of you not being the right person. You're not just the right person to have been a part of this with me. You're the only who could've helped me. Not just because of your previous involvement, but because of who you are as doctor-scientist right now. If there's a better surgeon or scientist this side of the Mississippi I'd like to meet them." Scott said, "You really are one of the best I've ever seen and there is no denying that." He rolled his eyes and said, "I didn't think I would say this out loud, but if I got passed over for Chief Surgeon..." Scott looked Sara in the eye and said, "in favor of you I think I'd be okay with it. I believe you're that good."

Scott let out a slight smile with that and ordered another tonic water. He then said to Sara, "I think we've talked enough about a project that should never be, and our work and I've had enough of them. Tell me something what do you do when you're away from the O-R? We've got a nice evening right now and I'm done talking shop and I'd rather get to know the person in front of me."