Chapter Four

Jack had just about given up on trying to get through to the rest of his teammates, especially after the past few days hadn't shown any indication that they knew something was wrong with him, and now their attention was mainly taken up with trying to find out who had attacked Sky. It was frustrating to know all the answers but not have any way of telling anyone. Currently, they were all sitting in one of the interview rooms, going over the 'evidence' they'd uncovered so far. It was a pitiful effort, especially since Cruger had put 'Jack' in charge of the investigation, giving the thing inside his head the opportunity to cover itself. He mentally went over the information anyway, a habit ingrained in him since he'd joined SPD, looking for something, anything the parasite had missed. It was then that he found it, the one thing that had been overlooked. Bridge wasn't wearing his jacket. Sure, his gloves were on, but if he could just… yes! Ma'at was standing up, Jack wasn't sure why, he hadn't been paying attention, but it was now or never.

As his body moved past the chair Bridge was sitting on, he threw all his effort into stopping his body from moving, and, much to his surprise, it worked. His body stumbled and a hand was automatically thrown out in search of balance, grabbing hold of Bridge's bare arm.

"Bridge, I need you! Come on Bridge, pick this up, please!"

Bridge recoiled as the plea hit his mind, or at least Jack hoped that was what it was, before Z was scolding him for not watching where he was going and how he should know better. For a moment it seemed like it had been a vain attempt, but then Bridge grabbed Z's arm and pulled her back, standing between her and 'Jack'.


"Bridge, what--" Z's voice was cut off as Bridge interrupted her.

"That's not Jack."

"What? Bridge, what are you talking about?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Jack said, arms folded expression unreadable.

"Don't bother," Bridge said. "I know you're not him, so you might as well stop pretending."

"Bridge, are you sure?" Syd asked cautiously and he nodded without looking back.

"I'm sure." He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before, but now everything was starting to fall into place. It was as if this had been the missing piece that made everything come together, and now that he was looking for it he could see the coldness in 'Jack's' eyes that was so unlike the upbeat red ranger he'd come to know. Much to his relief, Syd moved so she was standing behind him, giving him her support and Z did so as well, slowly, uncertain if she were doing the right thing.

As Jack's expression became colder, he held on tightly to the frantic plea that had invaded his mind, Jack's desperation hitting him hard. "There was one other thing I picked up in Sky's room," he said slowly. The one thing he hadn't mentioned because he hadn't been sure and didn't want to jump to any conclusions. "Betrayal. Like whoever attacked Sky was someone he trusted, someone he would never have expected to attack him."

"This is crazy," Jack snapped. "You think I attacked Sky? That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" Syd asked, voice measurably colder than it had been. Obviously she'd been putting two and two together herself. "You were the last one to see Sky before this happened."

"Yeah, I already told you that, and anyway, he was fine when I left."

"Only someone Sky trusted would have been able to get that close," Syd continued inexorably. "There's no way one of Gruumm's freakshows could have gotten into the base without the alarms going off and none of the cadets would go to Sky's room, let alone actually go inside. The only ones who do that are us, and I know it wasn't me or Z, and Bridge was out on patrol. That leaves you."

"You've been acting weird since that ship crashed," Z continued into the heavy silence and Bridge noted that 'Jack' had tensed up, no doubt ready to bolt if he had to. "Something happened then, didn't it?"

"You guys can't seriously believe all this," Jack tried. "Come on, this is me we're talking about. Do you really think I'd do something like that?"

"One way to find out," Bridge said and he pulled his morpher out of its holder. Cold, dark eyes latched onto it and there was one charged moment before Jack spun round. Straight into Commander Cruger, who'd probably been about to demand an update before all this happened.

Reluctantly activating the judgement function of his morpher, it wasn't a surprise when the verdict came back guilty. When his struggles proved useless, 'Jack' had stopped trying to escape, and he'd also given up the pretence of being Jack Landors.

"Your friend will die," the thing impersonating Jack said. "And there's nothing you can do to stop it."


Z felt sick to her stomach as Jack's eyes glowed yellow, the distorted voice and sneering expression so at odds with who Jack was and she couldn't believe she hadn't seen this sooner. It had been bad enough when Sky had been body-switched without them noticing, but that didn't disturb her as much as this did, she and Sky simply weren't that close. Jack on the other hand, Jack had been the most important person in her life for the longest time: her brother, her best friend, the one person she would do practically anything for, and while her family had extended to include a geekily adorable psychic, a spoiled princess who left her stuff all over the bathroom and a guy with a stick so far up his butt it could probably be used as a flagpole, Jack was still the first person she turned to, the person she trusted the most.

What had Sky seen that she hadn't? She had no doubt that that was the reason Sky was in the infirmary, barely holding onto his life. He'd known. Somehow he'd worked it out, worked it out when she hadn't. Why? "Sky knew, didn't he," she said. "That's why you attacked him, isn't it? He worked it out."

A faint smirk appeared on Jack's face. "Not just a pretty face, that one," he said mockingly, returning to Jack's normal voice. "Yeah, he worked it out. Worked it out where you didn't. And I thought the two of you were supposed to be close."

Z felt nauseous at the way the those words came out, all the innuendo carried with them as well as the way he looked her up and down, focusing especially on her breasts and hips, perverting everything about her relationship with Jack and she wanted nothing more than to smack that look off his face before forcibly beating him out of her brother.

"It's a pity Sky worked it out, really," the thing sighed in mock disappointment. "I could have had some fun with that one, bet he had a nice tight ass. Feel like joining in, Z?"

Z swallowed against the bad taste in her mouth, unable to believe the things coming out of Jack's mouth, even though she knew it wasn't Jack speaking.

"Or maybe you've got your eye on someone else," he continued maliciously. "Think I should spill a few things? Give him a heads up?"

"Don't act like you know me," she spat and the smirk on 'Jack's' face grew.

"Funny, that's what Sky said. Right before I stuck a knife in his gut. You people really don't get it do you? Everything darling Jack knows, I know."

"Where's the knife?" Syd demanded from Z's left. "What did you do with it?"

"Ankle sheath," Bridge said quietly. "Right ankle."

Jack's eyes widened in shock, struggling in the secure grip the Commander still held him in and Z took advantage of his distraction, replicating instantly right by his side. She quickly removed the knife and moved away, her replicant vanishing a moment later, looking with disgust and horror at the long blade that had been used to try and take Sky away from them. Until they'd joined SPD Jack had never carried a weapon, neither guns or knives. He'd always believed that they just made bad situations worse, that people were more likely to shoot first, don't ask questions later if they thought you were carrying. This was just the final piece of incontrovertible evidence that the person standing in front of her was not her brother.

She flipped the blade over in her hand, noting with some satisfaction that the thing controlling Jack never took his eyes off it, and she stepped forward so she was standing right by him. "You used this on Sky?" she asked quietly, holding it up in front of his face.

"Be careful, cadet," Cruger warned, watching her closely, and she could feel two other sets of eyes watching just as steadily.

"Yeah, be careful with that, it's sharp."

She smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "What's the matter? Afraid of little old me?"

He swallowed slightly and tried to back away. "I'm not afraid of you," he said, a little uncertainly, "only that you'll mess it up."

"I think you are afraid, afraid of someone doing to you what you did to Sky."

He swallowed again and laughed uneasily. "You wouldn't," he said. "You wouldn't kill this body, and that's the only way you'll get rid of me."

"Jack would rather be dead than live like this," Z said, spinning the knife casually in her hand again. "I know that. Everyone here knows that." She paused for effect. "Still think I wouldn't?"

"You wouldn't let her do that, right?" Jack said, desperately appealing to Cruger. "Isn't it against your rules or something, that you're not allowed to kill people?"

"Perhaps you should have thought of that before you tried to kill Sky," was the cool response and Z sighed quietly in relief that the Commander was playing along.

"You won't kill me," he repeated, sounding a little more sure of himself. "You're not killers. You wouldn't do it."

"No?" Z asked, absently flicking her thumb over the knife. "Not even to spare Jack this?" As his eyes became once again uncertain, Z lashed out, the pommel of the knife connecting solidly with Jack's temple. "You're probably right," she said as he slumped in the Commander's arms, out cold.

In order to save the med. teams a trip, Commander Cruger scooped up the unconscious form of his red ranger and carried him up to the infirmary.