AN: Sorry it has been so long since I updated this. RL makes things not fun so it took a bit for me to get back to this. I will be most likely starting another story to make sure I don't burn out again. The other story will be Lies My Father Told Me which should start soon. In the meantime here is an interlude. The next chapter should be out soonish…..at least that is my hope.

Venomous Sting - Interlude

Los Angeles

Rebecca Costa-Brown opened her bleary eye then immediately slammed it shut as the harsh light on the fluorescent lighting set in the ceiling of her office stabbed into her brain.

Groaning as her head spiked in pain, she kept her eye closed as she slowly sat up trying to remember how she had wound up on the floor with the mother of all headaches running rampant through her skull.

She had been finishing up some of the seemingly endless piles of paperwork that was the bane of her existence and was looking forward to getting home for a few hours before she had to patrol. She had just signed off on the latest reports from the district heads when everything went white, and she heard twin screams of pain echoing in her head. Her own had joined them briefly before she blacked out.

Shaking her head which she immediately regretted, she finally made it to her feet with the aid of her desk. She sat heavily in her chair wincing as it caused her headache to flair. Massaging her temples in a futile effort to ease the pain she spent a few minutes composing herself before reaching for the intercom to inform her assistant that she would be heading home and that she could leave as well, planning to call for a door as soon as her office was secure.

"Jamie, I'm going to be heading home in a few minutes so you can head on out if you're finished with everything," she said quietly not wanting to aggravate her headache.

"Director I was just about to inform you that we've started receiving reports from Protectorate sources across the country of various members collapsing," Jamie responded a hint of worry in her voice.

Rebecca felt a chill go down her spine upon hearing that as whatever had happened had not just affected her.

"Let me have everything you have now then find out everything you can. I'll be going over what we have so I will be unavailable for the next hour," she said quickly needing to contact Dr. Mother to try to figure out what was happening.

After copying what they had for the moment, Rebecca pulled a small black box from a drawer and set it on her desk before activating the device. Once that was done she stood and as she had done countless times before called out for a doorway. To her absolute shock, nothing happened.

Calling out again produced the same lack of response. She sat back down at her desk in shock. Never since they had access to Doormaker's abilities had a call for a door been ignored.

Cold realization dawned that whatever had affected her and seemed to be happening to other Protectorate members had struck the others as well if the lack of response was any indication. Switching off the device she had just activated she pulled out an encrypted phone and hit one of the speed-dial. It rang three times before a somewhat pained voice answered.

"Rebecca?"

"We have a critical situation, David," she said in a clipped tone.

"I'm aware, I was just informed as I was getting ready to head out for patrol, are you alright?" he said concern clear in his voice.

"I'm fine other than a rather bad headache, but we have bigger problems than that," she said worry evident in her voice. "David, I tried to call for a door, and nothing happened."

"You think it's connected to the blackouts?" he asked his voice strained, in apparent shock.

"It's the only thing that makes sense with what little information I have at the moment," she replied. Then with a touch of concern in her voice, she asked. "Are you alright, you sound like you're in pain."

"It's just a headache, I'll be fine," he said.

"David, when exactly did it start?" Rebecca asked as a thought occurred to her almost sure of the answer.

"I don't know maybe about fifteen min..." he trailed off as he finally made the connection. "It doesn't fit the pattern though. From what I was told so far everyone affected has had a thinker rating."

"True but with your powers you have access to them. It would explain a sudden headache even if you didn't suffer from the blackout," she replied. "Of course this is all speculation until we can contact Dr. Mother or track down the cause of these blackouts."

"Agreed," he replied, "I'll contact Julian and let him know the situation."

"While you're doing that I'll continue to gather everything I can get my hands on about what's going on. Until we hear from Dr. Mother, this is our top priority." she said her tone becoming more business-like. Disconnecting the call she took a moment to collect herself before reaching once more for the intercom.

"Jamie, on second thought send everything you get to me as you receive it. This is a situation that needs our full attention," she said ignoring her assistant's confused assurances that it would be done as she sat back in her chair wondering what or who could have caused this.

Two hours later and she was no closer to figuring out what had happened than she had been at the start. From what she had been able to piece together from the reports it seemed that only those that had a thinker rating that involved finding or retrieving information with little information or a discernible source had been affected.

Sighing in frustration at the lack of intel she threw her pen down in disgust and started massaging her temples once more, frustrated that even with her thinker abilities that the source of the attack had not shown itself from the information she had. Leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes she tried to parse what little she had been able to gather.

A subtle shift in the air pressure alerted her that something had changed in her office. Shifting into a fighting stance out of reflex sent her office chair careening into the wall as she went from resting her eye to full combat readiness in an instant only for her to see an open doorway waiting for her to enter.

Sighing in relief that this was not yet another attack, she retrieved her chair from the wall it had crashed into, thanking yet again the designers that had made sure her office was soundproof, as well as the fact that she had told Jamie to go home not long before.

Pulling the small black box from the depths of her desk, she activated it before quickly entering the doorway that she had been waiting for impatiently. Striding quickly through the bland white hallways that seemed to blend into one another, she entered their usual meeting room to an unusual sight.

Dr. Mother was hovering over the slumped form of Contessa nursing a large mug of what smelled like premium coffee, laced from what she could tell from the odor of an expensive brand of whiskey.

Sitting down at her usual spot Rebecca raised her eyebrow at the odd interaction. Before she could comment on it, David and Julian entered and took their seats without comment.

With a small pat on Contessa's back, Dr. Mother moved to her seat at the head of the table to begin the meeting.