Chapter 7.

Standing outside the holding call they could hear the prisoner banging on the door and trying to rip up the furniture. He was like and enraged wild animal.
"I see he has not knocked himself out yet." Garibaldi said to Zack.
"No not a bit, he seems to have gotten worse since we locked him up, was thinking to ask the Doc to sedate him or something, before he harms himself." Zack replied.
"NO" Zephyr said alarmed."That would lose vital clues. Please Chief, let me go in there." She pleaded.
"Now I know your nuts, look at the guy, he will rip you apart, he's not rational."
"Exactly why I need to go in and find out why." Zepyr reasoned.

"If it makes you feel any better, you can have your Bulldogs restrain him if he tries to attack me, but either way, I need to see him and I'm prepared to take the risk for Marcus, even if you are not.
"Bulldogs ?" Zack asked quizzically.
"Now it was Garibaldi's turn to smirk at him.
"That's you guys." He pointed to Zack and the other burley security men standing behind him. Zack rolled his eyes in disdain.

"Let's get this straight Zeph, I'm going to open the door, we walk in, if he goes for you, you run out, understood?"
"Guys be ready to stun him PPG's set on low, if he tries anything, shoot."

The door opened with an audible swoosh, but the occupant did not seem to notice, he was in his own frenzied world of torment, oblivious to the two others in the room with him. Zack watched them on the monitor, ready to move at the first sign of trouble.

Michael had expected the prisoner to rush them as soon as they entered, but he was more preoccupied with attempting to pull the metal chair from its moorings.
"Sebastian." Zephyr called to him gently, he looked up trying to focus on the face of the voice that called his name, but a part of him rebelled and it gave a gutteral sound.
"Everything will be all right Sebastian, we just want to talk with you."

Sebastian wanted to talk, to tell them what was going, but another part of him wanted to rip and gouge the flesh that was talking to him, wanting to sense and taste its fear.
Zephyr started to move closer, but Michael pulled her back.
"Not a good idea kid."
Sebastian lunged himself towards them with lightening speed and murderous rage, knocking them both to the ground as he fell on top. The cell door opened and a PPG fired, Sebastian slumped unconsciously to the floor.

Garibaldi pulled Zephyr to her feet.
"You ok? He asked concerned.
"All good ." She replied.
"Happy now?
"You need to let him go when he comes to." She said
"Let this nut job loose, are you kidding me ?
"Nope, he will lead us to the real killer, I think."
"And how did you get to that conclusion?"
"It's too long to explain chief."
"So gimmi the short version , I hate long stories anyway.

"Something is controlling Sebastian and is still in him. If we let him go it will take us to the host hopefully."
"I need more than that to go on, before i let a crazed killer out onto the station."
"He's not crazed , just controlled, like Marcus was.
"So how come Marcus was not like this guy is now?"
"Because the entity had left his body by the time your people got to him."
"Remember Marcus said he saw Lomax and the alien in Brown 14c, but you found them in 14a minus the alien."
Garibaldi nodded.
"I think the host we are looking for is the alien, he is the controller and he needs to be close, to take back his non corporeal form.

This was complicated to explain as Zephyr watched Garibaldi's face showing a cascade of thoughts which mostly said loony land city centre here we come.
"He's coming too chief, what now?" Zack asked.
"Nutshell fast. Garibaldi said to Zephyr
"Alien messes with Lomax's mind and body to get him to attack. Marcus comes, tries to stop Lomax, alien drops Lomax and takes Marcus, getting him to attack Lomax, alien drops Marcus.

"But how did the bodies get to Brown c then, where the witnesses saw them ? Garibaldi asked getting more perplexed by the second.
"There is that missing link that I can't see chief, but let's get the first one by catching the alien, maybe we can get more from him to fill the gaps.
"Ok you sold me on this crazy half-baked idea."
"Zack open the doors, let him walk." Garibaldi ordered.
"You better hope that I don't regret going along with this." Michael said pointing an accusing finger at Zephy.
"This stuff is spooking me out ugh." He shivered as if someone had walked over his grave.

Sebastian came to and seeing the open door, made a run for it, not knowing why or questioning the rationality of his situation and actions, just feeling a desperate urge leading his body to get free.

Garibaldi and Zephyr were on his tail as soon as he left the security building, staying back just enough not to be noticed.


Sebastian was sweating profusely, he felt his heart pounding hard in his chest and his lungs gasping for air, his breakfast threatening to emerge at any moment. He could not see straight, everything was a blur of moving shapes, out of focus, even the floor and walls would not stay still. Have to keep on moving before he passed out, he thought. Self preservation took over and was driving him to go down below, he would be safe there, but from who or what he did not know.

"Garibaldi to Zack do you still have him on the monitor? "
"Yes chief , he just got out of the transport tube in Brown 14."
"Send a team down there but do not get close until I call for backup." Garibaldi ordered.

"He's in a bad way, lets hurry, he wont last much longer."
"The PPG only stunned him, how the heck ?
"His body is having some sort of allergic reaction, probably from the aliens interference, lets hope he finds him in time, for everyone's sakes."

They watched Sebastian as he lurched and staggered like a blind drunk, feeling his way along the walls, people gave him a wide berth thinking him high on dust and out for trouble. Rounding a corner Sebastian knocked into a cloaked figure, he grabbed hold of him as his legs gave way and he slithered to the floor, barely able to breathe.

"That's him." Zephyr whispered to Garibaldi.
"Zack, bring your squad to where I am now, and get a med team here as well."

"Ok you. Freeze. Put your hands up where I can see them." Ordered Garibaldi raising his PPG.
The alien responded with a menacing snarl and did not comply, but made a move towards Michael
"Don't understand huh? Well maybe this will help with translation."
Garibaldi fired his PPG over the aliens head.
"The next shots wont miss." He warned.

This time the alien stopped and remained motionless.
"Now that's more like it, beginning to capise I see.
No sooner had he finished his sentence and was going to say...but what he could not remember, as he felt a brick wall crashing down over his mind, blackness closing in, and an icy chill envelope his body, making him shiver.

A faint voice echoed around in his thoughts.
"Fight him Pitbull, he's trying to take you over."

There it was again he thought to himself, how he hated that name, damn it. Take him over, who, how, like hell, he was not having any alien taking his mind, over his dead body.

Think good thoughts Michael, a person you care about, shut down everything else.
Lise came to mind as clear and bright as sunlight, he still cared about her, even after all this time of not seeing her. He tried to concentrate and think of her face, her voice, her laugh, the blackness was fading, but it was hard pushing against it when it was trying to get him to kill the voice and the good thoughts.

By the time Zack and the rest of the security team arrived with the medics, it was all over. Three bodies lay groaning on the deck.
"What the heck happened here Zack asked looking at Zephyr, the only one standing but looking very pale.
"You ok kid ?" Zack asked.
She nodded but said nothing. Garibaldi sat up holding his head, feeling as if he had been on an all night bender

"As soon as my head has cleared I want some answers, and they better be good or I'm going to bust some heads to get it.
"Take it easy Michael you seem to have a mild concussion, there are no external signs of trauma, but I will check you out more thoroughly in medlab" Dr Franklin said.
"Is everyone ok? What happened to the alien? " Garibaldi asked.
"Out cold and safely secured, he's not going anywhere except a nice cosy cell when the Doc has finished with him. Don't worry chief, everyone is still alive and kicking."
Ok ok no need to shout, I'm a little dazed not deaf."
"No your just cranky, disoriented and over sensitive to normal sound." Dr Franklin informed Michael.
"Wise guy."
"At your service." Steven replied with a healthy helping of sarcasm and a warm smile. No one was going to fault his bedside manner, not even Garibaldi