Jason X vs. The Thing
Chapter 1: Departure
…
Okay, people. This is an idea that occurred to me and, as usual with such ideas, wouldn't let me alone until I did something with it. So I'll have to see how it goes myself.
If I deviate from the "Jason X" storyline, some of that is intentional, as you'll see. Call this an AU, if you just have to.
I don't own the "Friday the Thirteenth" or "The Thing," franchises.
….
"…it come from some place whar things ain't as they is here… one o' them professors said so… he was right…"
-"The Colour Out Of Space," by H. P. Lovecraft.
….
Earth, Antarctica, 1982: MacReady sat alone in a cold, cold room. It would soon get a lot colder, he knew. Already, ice crystals had formed on and in his beard.
So be it. If his death would keep the monster away from the lands of men, it would be well worth his sacri-*
The door opened suddenly, and MacReady's frost-covered eyes widened as he saw the figure step lithely into the room. It tossed the heavy implement it was carrying into the corner. "I believe I've done all I can," it said.
"You!" MacReady exclaimed, his voice already cracking from the ice crystals forming in his throat. "I should've known!"
"You should've. But it's a little late now."
"No, it's not." With a strength and speed born of a desperation that mere fear of death could never fuel, he pulled out a small automatic from inside his coat.
The figure sounded amused. "Surely you don't think that will stop me."
"It's not for you." And MacReady put the barrel of the automatic to his temple….
….
Deep space, 2455:
"Ah, professor, so good to see you." Professor Lowe gushed. Professor Jonathon Stein had been one of his college mentors. "Dr. LaFontaine's here too, or will be shortly." Professor Jonathon Stein, a tall man of indeterminate age, with a long face, "noticeable" eyebrows, and hair more grey than otherwise, seemed to wear a perpetually bemused expression, as though he'd just put his keys down, and now couldn't find them. "And, of course, the subject…but that's another matter." Professor Stein had just recently joined the crew of the Grendel, as they traveled the spaceways, on their way to their next destination. "I'll introduce you the rest of the crew after a bit. Would you like the chance to freshen up?"
"I believe I would," replied Stein. "It has been a long trip." The shuttle that had brought him had made landfall on the ruins of Earth, the ancient manhome. Its ecology had been wrecked by mankind's greed and lack of foresight, and frequently scientists went there to study the shattered ecology left behind. Stein's shuttle had taken a long way around. "But perhaps I could take a moment to meet with your students. You say the subject is here, too?"
He turned and led him off down the corridor. "Yes, most assuredly. We stopped by the Crystal Lake facility specifically to retrieve the…well, I'm not exactly sure what you'd call it. It's a body, to be sure. But dead? Well, yes and no. One of our own, Rowan LaFontaine, sacrificed her own life to stop it, cryogenically freezing them both. We'll thaw her out shortly. But for now… You know, we tried to kill him—excuse me, to kill it—but nothing worked. So we're taking the body to Cetus Four for study."
Stein fell in behind him, shifting his duffle bag over his shoulder. Braithewaite could hear rustling sounds coming from within as he shifted it, and smiled to himself. Knowing the Prof like he did, he'd probably packed a change of underwear, and couple pairs of socks—and about a metric ton of books. And this was not counting e-readers. "So…nothing worked? At all?"
"Nothing. The only thing that came closest was to immerse the body in a water solution, heavily bound, of course. After a while, the creature's struggles began to die down.
"But I'd like to stress that this in no way indicated any sort of physical death, as such. It was as though the creature simply…felt at home there, in the water. One of our younger scientists wondered if there's a connection between sensory deprivation and the creature's 'dormant' mode."
"A distinct possibility. Though it's not my specialty, I'd be interested in reviewing those results, if I may." They turned a corner into the main rec area, where most of the crew were already gathered.
"Ah, Professor Stein. Here's our crew, my students. People, this is Professor Stein. He was one of my instructors at the university…and a good friend. Professor, this is Tsunaron, Janessa, Azrael, Jaxon, Kinsa, Waylander, Stony, Adrienne, and Andrea. And this," he turned to a startlingly beautiful woman standing beside the others, "is KM-14. She's an android, and my personal assistant. I couldn't ask for a better adjunct." The android designated "KM-14" seemed to puff up a little at the praise.
"Ah," said Stein, "I'm glad to meet all of you. And, you're an android, you say? I must say, whoever designed and built you did superb work. If Professor Lowe had not said anything, I would never have known you were anything other than the extremely lovely young woman you appear to be." There was clear sincerity in his voice. He was not trying to flatter KM.
"Thank you, Professor Stein. I can't take credit for my design, of course, but I appreciate your praise."
"Please, all of you. Simply call me Jon, or Jonathon. I'm technically on vacation, at least until we reach Cetus Four. So we can be informal. Is this all of your crew, Professor Lowe?"
"There's a couple of others. Oh, and the subject…you said you wanted to see it? It's right this way." He led the professor and KM down the corridor to a specially prepared room. Inside was a slab holding a hulking form covered in rags of clothing and wearing a hockey mask. Stein noted that the figure, though exhibiting no life signs, was nonetheless bound to the slab. Hm. Grim experience, perhaps? "We call this the 'morgue,' but to be honest, I'm not sure how to classify our star attraction. He has no vital signs whatsoever, but nonetheless his tissues regenerate. How this happens with no significant blood flow is just another mystery. Ah, here's one of my other students, Mary." The young woman in question turned from her examination to face them.
Like KM, she was startlingly attractive, a young woman of about twenty-five bio years, with dark brown hair cut in a bob just below her narrow pointed chin. Her eyes were large and dark, and seemed, to Stein's eyes, to be tired. Why? "Mary, here, has sort of 'adopted' the subject, whom we call 'Jason.' There's an old Earth legend about a similar creature that couldn't be killed. Well, here we have something very similar. Strikingly so, in fact. Mary has been untiring in her efforts to analyze Jason, here. Mary," he turned to her, "You haven't been neglecting your sleep, have you? You know you've a tendency to do that." He turned a brief smile to Stein. "Dedication and youth. Two irresistible forces."
Mary smiled tiredly at them both. "No, Professor Lowe. I've been getting enough sleep. It's just…." She turned to the quiescent form on the slab, "nothing about Jason, here, makes any sense. How does he regenerate with no blood flow? How does he live, without a heartbeat, or noticeable brain wave activity? Yet he does…and others have found out the hard way that he's not a good patient."
"I saw his bonds. I gathered as much. So, have you any theories as to how he does what he does?"
Mary managed another tired-seeming smile. "Black magic? We really don't know. There is cellular regeneration; we can't deny that. That made him of interest to the big boys in the military, but he's also of interest in medical fields. I mean, if we could learn how to harness that process, make it work on us, well, I can't think of any disease we couldn't lick. Even gorgos testamenta would be no match for it. But…we can't find anything that makes any sense out of it."
"I'm sure, if anyone can, that it'll be you, Mary." Professor Lowe spoke with complete sincerity. He turned to Stein. "Mary's been a student of mine for two years now, and I'm not too proud to say she's already surpassed me in practically every field. The only reason she doesn't have her full-fledged doctorate is a mere formality of age." Here he frowned. "Apparently some curmudgeons at the university felt she should be a little older. You know how it goes."
"Indeed I do. I remember it took me forever, or so it seemed.
"But I would be interested in reviewing the data with you, Mary, once I've settled in. That is, if you don't mind?"
"Of course not, Professor. Maybe a fresh perspective will prove productive. Goodness knows something needs to." And the two professors left her to her contemplation of the silent figure on the slab.
They continued on down the corridor, took a lift to the area two decks upward, and walked a short distance down that hallway. "Here you go, Professor…."
"Oh, please, Ben. Let's not stand on formality here. We've progressed beyond mentor and student. I'm Jonathon."
"Ah, of course…Jonathon." It would take him some time, he thought, to get used to calling a man he'd virtually idolized by his first name. "Well, anyway, here's your quarters. The door's already kirlian-locked; all it takes is your bio-signature. I think you'll find everything to your liking, and if there's anything you need, or even want, don't hesitate to let us know." With a few more words, he turned and headed back down the corridor, leaving the professor to open and enter his assigned quarters.
They were indeed sumptuous. Stein had been used to traveling from one assignment to another, often staying at, er, questionable establishments, so these custom-tailored amenities suited him more than okay. He tossed his duffle bag onto the double queen-sized bed, and turned to examining the room itself. A bed, desk, comfortable reading chair, combination data terminal / entertainment system. "On," he said. The large flat-screen terminal instantly lighted up. "Acknowledge identity: Professor Jonathon Stein."
"Acknowledged. Security encryption delta. Security level: 7."
He frowned. Only a seven? He'd been hoping for something a bit higher. Still… "Access file: Jason Voorhees."
"Access denied. Security level insufficient."
So it was going to be that way, was it? Well, he'd just have to wait and get his info the old-fashioned way. "Very well, then. Access file: Cetus Four."
"Abstract: a scientific research facility established 2247 for the study of extraterrestrial organisms and non-standard biology. Census: as of 2452, fifteen thousand, nine hundred fifty-two, comprising scientists and research students. The colony serves as a small university, one with an extraordinarily high achievement ratio. Role of graduates is as follows…." But Professor Stein was no longer listening.
Hm. So…Jason's file was locked to a higher degree of security, plus he was being transferred to a facility especially dedicated to the study of "non-standard" biology. Stein quirked a smile, at that. Yes. "Non-standard" was a good way of describing Jason. From what he'd heard.
He sincerely hoped nobody would be stupid enough to take the brute for granted this time
This time.
…..
"Mary! Wait up!" Mary turned to see Jaxon running up the corridor after her. He was out of breath from running. "You just come from the morgue?"
"Yeah." She put her hand up to her forehead. "I think I'm going into brain-meltdown, Jax. I keep thinking there's something there, something that I'm missing. But I can't figure out what." She and Jaxon had known each other for several months now, and both were comfortable in each other's presence, to the degree that only good friends can be.
He shrugged. "It might not be anything you've overlooked. My grandmother used to tell stories, stories about supernatural creatures…"
"Bosh. I'm a biologist, Jax. If a thing exists, it's natural. It may be of a nature we don't understand, but it's still natural. Just not anything we know anything about."
"How about that the thing can't be killed? I mean, by definition, if it's alive, it can be killed, right? But it can't be killed. So maybe it's not alive. Maybe it's, like, unalive, undead, or something. If it's not alive, then it would make sense that it can't be killed. Right?"
She shook her head, her short dark brown hair rippling in waves down the side of her face. Such lovely hair, he thought. Of course, he'd never tell her that. She was out of his league. Way out. "Viri don't die, either, Jax. They, too, fall into that category of 'undead,' by definition. But they're very much alive. Peterson's, for example. We learned the hard way that four thousand empty, dormant years was nothing to it. We had to quarantine that whole planet. I understand that quarantine is still in place, even today."
"Well, yeah. All I'm sayin' is, maybe it's something our science hasn't caught up with yet. I mean, that's possible, isn't it?"
"Well, maybe this is how our science catches up with it." Jax sneaked a glance at her face, which had set itself in a stubborn expression, chin jutted just a little ways out. She looked so cute… "Maybe by studying Jason, here, we may well begin to understand what people call the 'supernatural.'
"I don't believe it's beyond us. If it can be studied, then it can be understood. And. I'm gonna be the one to do it."
He laughed. Her enthusiasm was so contagious. When he heard her talk, it bolstered his own faith in science. He just knew she could do it. "Well, I hope you're right. Say, they're gonna have a viewing of that new immersive holodrama later on tonight. You gonna attend?"
Again she shook her head. "I've got some things to do, Jax. I've got to get my notes in order before we reach Cetus Four, and they're nowhere near ready for anything like peer review. Though," and here, she stole a glance at him, "I…do appreciate the…invitation?" Were you asking me out, Jax?
I sorta hope you were.
"Oh come on. There's plenty of time before then. And all work and no play…"
"I know, I know. Professor Lowe is always telling me that very thing. Well…" Another stolen glance, "uhm. If, if you…think, I mean, if, if you…" She fumbled, clearly unsure of how to phrase what she was trying to say.
He didn't notice. "C'mon, it'll be fun! Consider this my personal invite!" Go for broke, Jax. He hoped she couldn't hear the hammering of his heart in his chest. "It'll…uh, be a date, okay? A, a friend-date, I, I mean. Just us, and, and whoever else is there, I mean…" Please say yes.
She smiled at him, and his world suddenly got a little brighter. "Sure, Jax. I'd love to."
Now I know there's a God, 'cause He just answered my prayers.
…..
In the morgue: the hulking figure on the slab lay, quiescent. It was not dead, nor was it in any form of suspended animation or hibernation. Jason Voorhees was very much alive and awake.
He knew why he was here, wherever here was. It didn't matter where he was, he was here to punish the guilty. The ones who were guilty of the same sorts of sins that had led to his own "death" and the death of his mother, so very long ago.
Right now, he was bound so securely that he could not move, could get no leverage to use his great strength. But over the centuries, and after the hell that his entire life had been, he'd learned patience. Sooner or later.
Sooner or later, justice would be done.
…..
The holodrama was a new thriller series from the entertainment planet Tinseltown, and it proved to be more than exciting. It wasn't long before they were all squealing with fear or delight, or a combination of both. All the crew, and the students, minus the two professors and KM, were in attendance, and the immersive element made it seem like it was really happening, right then and there. Jaxon glanced over at Mary, who was half curled up in a ball, alternately laughing and shrieking, an expression of horrified delight on her face. He longed to be able to just reach over and put his arm around her, but he knew he didn't have the courage for that, yet. But maybe he could take her hand? Surely, that wouldn't be too much…
Baby steps, Jax…
But he no sooner thought that, than she sobered up, closed her eyes, put her hand up to the side of her head, and moaned. "Oooh."
"Mary? Something wrong?"
"I, I just got this sharp pain in my head." She winced; this had never happened before. Mary, like all of the young people of her generation, had availed herself of the most modern in medical health maintenance, and had never even had a headache. If this is a headache, headaches sure suck. "I…I may have to go, Jax. I, I'm sorry…"
"Hey, it's okay." Now he did take her hand in his, her fingers curling around his. It was the best feeling he'd ever experienced to date. "I understand. Do you need any help getting to your quarters?"
She managed a feeble smile. He didn't think it had yet dawned on her that they were actually holding hands. "No, no. I'll be fine. I just…maybe I'd best go lie down a while. Maybe Professor Lowe's right; maybe I have been working too much. I'll let the autodoc look me over if it doesn't go away."
"Okay…if you're sure?"
"I'm sure. Thanks, Jax." They both got up from their seats, there in the back of the room, disconnecting the IM headsets simultaneously. For a moment, they were standing together there in the darkened room, standing very close together. The others, still in the IM, didn't notice them. She looked up at him, about to tell him goodnight, when their mutual closeness registered on them both. They were only a couple of inches apart; he could smell the clean scent of her hair, that hair that he so longed to run his fingers through. There was a brief moment between the two of them when it seemed as though time itself came to a standstill….and then she dropped her eyes, and the moment was gone. "I, I'd best be getting on. Thank you, Jax. You're a good friend."
"Oh. Uh. Right. Yeah, you're welcome. Look, if you need anything…"
"I'll let you know. Thanks again." She saw the look on his face, and something inside her melted. Impulsively, she reached up and kissed him. Just a brief, friend-type peck on the lips. And then she turned and left, leaving a pleasantly-stunned Jaxon behind her.
…
Mary made her way along the silent, empty corridors, headed for her room. Her head was really pounding; definitely time for the autodoc to check her out. There had to be something seriously wrong with her to be hurting this bad this suddenly.
Even through her pain, she smiled as she remembered Jaxon's face, the way it had lit up when she kissed him. If only he knew how much courage it had taken her to do that!
Did she care for him, as more than just a friend?
Mary had put her whole life on hold, throwing all her time and considerable energy into getting her education, and securing a place for herself on the staff of the university. Her whole family had pushed her to do this, but they hadn't had to push very hard. It had been a life-long dream of hers, to be a teacher, the same way that Professor Lowe, and, yes, Professor Stein were. She wanted that for herself.
But now, she was asking herself if there weren't other….things just as, if not more, important.
She shook her head, continuing on down the corridor. Time for that later. For now, get herself seen to. This pain wasn't going away.
And so she went down towards her room, completely unaware that her every move was being watched.
