This chapter references the episode "The Mummies of Malenque" from the second season of JQ:TRA. You don't need to have seen the episode, trust me.

This is also where we start to get into the larger world I've developed – the world that will take shape during this and the 3 novels that come next. Welcome aboard!

Enjoy!

When the Dragonfly touched down at a private airfield just outside Kihei, Maui, they were met by an ambulance and a small bus. Race organized everyone into gathering up supplies from the 'Fly while Benton and Jim carefully carried Jonny's still body to the ambulance.

"I'll go on to the university and you can join me there," he said breathlessly as he clambered into the ambulance beside his son. But before slamming the door, Benton looked into Jim's eyes. "Take care of my family, detective."

"I will," Jim promised. He understood that it wasn't their physical safety that had Benton worried now; it was their ability to handle the uncertainty. Jim had seen it, too, in Jessie's distress, in Hadji's sickened silence, in Race's almost mechanical managing of logistics. Jim was also worried about the kid, but somebody had to make sure there was an intact family waiting for Jonny to wake up.

Jim might not have been anybody's first pick of morale officer, but Doctor Quest had asked and he'd see that promise through. And it wasn't like he was trying to do it alone.

"I've never been to Maui," Blair was chattering as he hauled a box down the loading ramp to be piled into the storage bay under the bus, "but I've done research on some of the smaller Hawaiian islands. There's such a rich history and culture here."

Nobody was really listening, of course, but the glance Blair shot Jim told him that he knew as much and wasn't bothered – Sandburg was just filling up the space to keep out that insidiously quiet tension.

"Blair?" Hadji asked as Blair looked up from shoving the box into the bus.

"Yeah?"

"Here." He held out a small duffle bag. "Your belongings remain in the jungle, I believe. As you and I are of about a size, I thought perhaps you would not mind sharing for the time being. Race also has many extra sets of clothing, but I fear they would not fit you as well." There was almost a smile under the words.

"Hey, thanks!" Blair grinned at him. "Yeah, I've totally had it with this hospital clothing. And, you know, in some cultures, the giving of clothing and shelter denotes brotherhood and friendship and loyalty, so if it's from you, I'll take it!"

Hadji swallowed and nodded. He handed a bag to Jaga as well, though from what Jim could see peeking out of the top of the bag, the clothing there was Race's, not Hadji's. Well, Jaga was closer in size to Race. Really, he was closest of all to Jonny, but Jim could understand the kid not wanting to hand over his brother's things, not knowing if or when he would wake to want them back.

Jim sidled up to Blair. "You made up that brotherhood thing, didn't you?"

"No," he shrugged. "There's several different cultures somewhere that put importance on offering a guest clothing. I just went for vague to make it sound good."

"Where are we going, dad?" Jessie asked as she made her way down the ramp with the last of the supplies.

"Benton's going with Jonny straight over to the university hospital," Race answered, keying in the code to close up the 'Fly. Then he strode out of the hangar in which they'd arranged to store it and closed the door. "I guess this friend of his pulled some strings and got us somewhere to stay on campus, probably where the profs live during the term, but with only a few summer classes on now, we'll have the place mostly to ourselves."

"We should get settled first," Jim found himself advising. As soon as he said it, he knew it was the right call. "After we get our stuff put away and get some showers and some food, then we can head down to the hospital."

Jessie and Hadji exchanged strangled glances. Both looked like they were ready to argue.

"He is correct," came the unexpected voice of Jaga. "Healing will take much time. We must take our own time to prepare for waiting."

"Come on, you two," Race said, putting an arm around each of his two young charges and steering them towards the bus. "We'll get to the hospital soon. And if there's anything we should know, Benton will call."

Several minutes later, with Race behind the wheel and the others spread in various seats nearby, Hadji looked over at Jessie. "Do you remember when you were ill in Malenque?"

"Sort of," she answered. "It's all kind of a blur."

"There was an antidote then," Hadji said. "Race...and Jonny...went after it for you. I was left behind to watch over you. I never had any doubts that between them, there was nothing they could not accomplish. I never had any doubts that they would bring back whatever was needed to save your life. So I waited."

"You talked to me," Jessie said lowly. "You told me to trust in our family, that they wouldn't let me down."

Hadji turned to look out the window. "I would give anything to make this like that was. But there is no antidote this time, no simple answer. No one we can defeat and earn salvation for Jonny. For all my studying, there is nothing I can do to save my brother."

"Not true, man," Blair said softly. "There's nothing stronger than brothers in the whole world. Believe me, I know. If there's a way to save yours with willpower alone, you'll find it." He glanced at Jim. "I know you will."

Still, it was a quiet group that pulled up outside the faculty annex on the edge of the campus. They discovered that it was a small apartment-building in its own right with living spaces for families or for multiple individuals to live in dorm rooms with communal facilities. A young woman met them out front.

"Hi," she said, jumping down from the chair she'd set up on the porch. "You're with Doctor Quest?"

"We are," Race confirmed. "Are you here to let us in?"

"Yup. I'm Kaimi. I'm working on an internship for the summer, so I do a lot of odd jobs around here," she explained.

"Easy, Chief," Jim warned Blair softly.

Blair snorted. "She's so underage for me, man," he whispered low enough only a Sentinel could have heard. But he flushed slightly at being caught out. Kaimi had the same warm brown skin of the Hawaiian people and soft proportions. But her eyes sparkled with friendliness, and Blair could appreciate the art of the streak of electric blue in her hair. Clearly a girl with spirit.

"I'm Race, and this is Jessie and Hadji," Race began. He glanced to the others a little uncertainly.

"I am Jaga," the Sentinel introduced himself politely.

"Jim Ellison," the other Sentinel said. But when he heard how stiff that sounded, he shook himself. "Call me Jim. And that's my partner, Blair Sandburg."

"So you'll be responsible for seeing to our rooms?" Blair moved in quickly. With a wink and a small, conspiratorial smile, he asked in a stage whisper, "Which one's the best? I gotta get in before the big guys beat me to the good spot!"

Kaimi grinned. "The whole second floor has been set aside for your group. There's a bunch of singles and doubles and a communal kitchen and bathrooms and stuff." She sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately, most of the rooms are exactly the same."

But under the pretense of digging a key out of a pocket, she did whisper to Blair, "The rooms next to the bathrooms have paper-thin walls, so you might want to steer clear."

He grinned in response, even knowing perfectly well that the Sentinels would have caught it.

"I wouldn't have thought there'd be a space like this at the university for professors," Jim commented as the group divided up their belongings and began hauling everything to the elevators. "For students, sure. But you never had anything like this at Rainier, did you, Chief?"

"No," Blair shook his head, "but it's different in Cascade. Accommodations are tough to find out here, and the University of Hawaii has a lot of rotating and visiting staff. Plus, being such a big research hotspot, they expect to have experts drop in for a semester and it's way easier on everybody if they don't have to go halfway across the island to find a place they can afford."

The floor they found reflected Blair's words – it was somewhat nicer than a more standard dorm, with greater care taken with furnishings and decorations. However, the space was still largely utilitarian and a little sterile. When Jaga instantly moved over to the large sliding door that led out to a balcony from the common area and threw it open, no one blamed him for wanting the scent of the wind and water to banish any possible association with where they had last been held. Race stuck his belongings in a room near the stairwell, and Jim and Jaga spread themselves out through the other dorms, making sure someone was near to all entrances. Jessie took a room next to her father and Blair opted to share a wall with his partner.

When Hadji claimed the largest room, an airy double, and moved his adopted father's bags in as well, no one said anything – though more than one saddened glance was sent his way.

Just about the time everyone had finished showering and changing, Kaimi arrived with armloads of take-out food from a nearby Italian place. She seemed to understand that the group was in some distress and instead made herself scarce, though she did leave her contact information with Race in case they needed anything else since she was serving as the caretaker for the building over the summer break.

At last, Race finished cleaning up the take-out boxes and looked around. "Okay, gang. Let's go see our boys."

It was just a walk across campus, but it was stilted and tense all the same. The campus was still fairly active in spite of the summer term, but more because it boasted a beautiful green area for flying kites, having picnics, and otherwise enjoying the fine weather on the bright day. Somehow, all that relaxed joy and obviously happy families and friends only made their somber procession worse.

Benton met them at Admissions in the university hospital.

"Come on through," he said tiredly. "We've just put Jonny into an MRI, so he'll be there a while before we can get him settled. Due to the...nature of his situation, he'll be in a private room and the university has agreed to give us all full access."

Race looked critically at his old friend. Benton was running on nothing but worry. Even his sharp intellect was dulled by fear in a feverish, manic sort of way. Race only occasionally teased him about being a mad scientist, but today, with his unkempt appearance and the frantic nervousness of his mannerisms, he looked it.

Hadji had been watching his father, too, until there was hefty exhale of breath just at his shoulder. He turned to see Jaga, his face a little taut with strain. Without thinking, Hadji put a hand on his arm. "I know there is much to see and hear and smell," he said in a low voice, "but do not let the waters rise. Unless you want to wait outside?"

"I shall stay with you, Sang Beruang," he said solidly.

Hadji nodded and kept a hold on his arm while the Sentinel worked to control his senses. Jim noted the exchange and sent a significant look to Blair, but it was definitely not the right moment to discuss it.

They had just reached the proper floor when a woman appeared through the swinging doors leading to the pathology labs.

"This is the friend who is helping me," Benton introduced her. "Doctor Leilani Waihee, one of the world's foremost specialists in neuro-biochemistry."

"Oh man!" Blair bounced once as he strode forward. "Doctor Waihee, it's a real honor!"

"I didn't know you were into medicine," Benton furrowed his brow at Blair's excitement.

"Well, yeah, Doctor Waihee is mostly famous for all the heavy brain stuff," Blair smiled, "but she's also famous in my field as a groundbreaking specialist in medical anthropology." He held out a hand. "I'm Blair Sandburg. Your last article on Chinese traditional practices and the specific use of herbs was totally helpful."

She smiled at him in pleased surprise, but her tone was firm. "I did not expect to see another anthropologist. Benton usually has such...literal-minded friends. This is an unexpectedly welcome thing to find."

"Wait, this is that woman you were telling me about, Chief?" Jim was surprised. He managed to gulp before blurting out the rest of his thought – When you read me that long, tedious article that made no sense to me, I didn't expect her to be so...tiny!

The doctor stood an inch or two shy of five-feet tall in her sneakers. Her long, black hair was swept to the nape of her neck in a loose bun, and her dark eyes were keen and sharp behind her neutral gaze. The fact that she wore capri pants and a t-shirt under her doctor's coat did not take away from her quiet dignity.

"It's nice to meet the rest of you as well," she said politely, if distractedly. She turned to Benton. "The first images are coming through now, if you'd like to see them."

"Absolutely." He began to follow her, suddenly aware that his entire entourage was at his heels. "Um...Leilani?"

"Yes, of course they may all come back," she said over her shoulder. "I'm certain I don't have to warn any of your people about how delicate it all is. And perhaps one of them will be able to get your jitters under control, my friend."

Surprised, the rest followed the doctors through the doors and to the imaging lab. Doctor Waihee pulled up several scans on the screens throughout the room.

"Jonny is in the MRI downstairs, but those results are much easier to analyze up here. When the test is over, an orderly will bring him back up." She waved at some of the seats in the room, rolling desk chairs scattered about between the many monitors. "Unless you know what you're looking at, take a seat. This could be a while."

The competence and obvious focus of the doctor was comforting as Doctor Quest's haggard worry hadn't been, and before even a third of the screens had been filled with different kinds of scans, everyone began to feel, if not less hopeless, at least less despairing. But an hour later, even her professionalism couldn't conceal her sudden surprise.

"Benton, look!" she pointed to a particular scan, quickly enlarging it on the main screen. "We have the 'what,' even if we don't know the 'why' or 'how' yet."

"I see it...but I don't believe it," Doctor Quest steadied himself on a nearby table.

"What is it?" Jessie was on her feet at once.

"I...I can't..." He took a breath and visibly pulled himself together. "Leilani, would you give us a minute? I need to discuss this with my family."

"Of course, Benton," she nodded kindly. "I'll make sure your son is getting settled in his room and check for any change." She patted him on the elbow and left them.

"What is it?" Hadji repeated Jessie's demand.

"This is a deep MRI scan of Jonny's brain," Benton ran a hand through his hair. "It shows areas where the activity is unusual. See these spots Leilani marked in red?" He gestured. "Even if Jonny were awake and in the middle of a soccer tournament or something, he wouldn't show this much activity here. It's completely abnormal, almost off-the-charts, really."

Suddenly Blair got a sinking feeling in his stomach. "I didn't do a lot of hard sciences, but I think I remember what those areas of the brain are for. So you're saying..."

Benton looked at him and their eyes locked. He nodded once.

"Oh man." Blair swallowed around a sudden tightness in his throat.

"And to everybody not qualified to be a brain surgeon in the room?" Race asked testily, but his anger was based in fear and everyone could hear it in his voice.

"This one, for example," Benton pointed to a particularly fierce red spot at the back of the image. "This is the occipital lobe. It's the part of the brain that processes visual stimuli. And it's working on overdrive."

"Benton," Race tensed, "you told me that drug that he got exposed to..."

"I was forced to try to adjust an existing serum that those people had invented to try to 'create' Sentinels artificially. Their compound was dangerous and was as likely to kill as it was to work."

"A drug to make Sentinels?!" Jim almost roared.

"You specifically told me it shouldn't work on someone without the genetic markers for being a Sentinel," Race argued.

"I know," Benton stepped backwards and almost fell into a chair. "I tested my own blood and I came back negative."

"But Jonny only has half your DNA," Jessie's voice was low and breathy. "Even if the traits are recessive, there was still a chance..."

Doctor Quest nodded miserably.

"So Jonny..." Hadji marshaled control over his expression, "is becoming a Sentinel."

Benton looked up. "Yes, maybe. Possibly. If he can survive the process."

-==OOO==-

Less than half the group made the return trip to their rooms before nightfall. Doctor Quest was of course staying at the hospital to continue his tests, as well as to attempt to learn if there was anything he could do to ease or eliminate the chemical changes being wrought in his son's brain-matter. Blair, after he had overcome his shock, had instantly whirled into action, making use of his knowledge of Sentinel sensitivities to try to prevent any adverse reactions to everything from the sheets to the drugs being used, just it case it would help. Hadji had also opted to stay as moral support for both his father and brother, and Jaga had offered to keep an eye on them all.

Race, Jim, and Jessie walked across the campus in stiff, thoughtful silence. Had they been anything other than badly distracted by events, they might have enjoyed the stunning sunset taking place before them. But even the glory of the sky's colors couldn't shake the gloom that followed them.

When they reached their floor, Jessie disappeared into her room for a moment before returning to the large lounge with her laptop.

"What's up, Ponchita?" her father asked.

"I think it's about time to find out what those guys were really up to," she said, her fear and sorrow and stress all converted into an angry energy and driving determination.

"Good idea," Jim nodded. "If you've got a spare computer, I'm no hacker, but I'd be glad to start going through whatever you managed to get."

She shot him a grateful glance.

"Count me in, too," Race nodded. He retrieved Jonny's computer and one of Benton's and they set up a quick LAN group across the biggest table.

"I'll work on downloading and decrypting everything," Jessie offered. "You guys can do the research."

"This is really more Sandburg's area," Jim groused, but he didn't really mean it. He was a detective – he'd spent more than his share of time combing through computer records to break cases before. And this one was probably more important than almost any case he'd worked in a long while.

"Well, our geeks are busy," Race smiled at him mildly. "Let's see if we can surprise them when they get back."

The three fell into a rhythm and hours flew by. It was after midnight when everyone else arrived, surprised to see them so engrossed in their work.

"Are you guys too tired to want to hear what we found?" Jessie asked, looking at the others. They wore similarly wan expressions, but shook their heads simultaneously.

"I will not sleep until I know more," Hadji answered softly. "There are too many questions, and while it is my belief that to fear the unknown is to fear oneself, at the moment I am too afraid to care."

The three at the computers exchanged glances and Jim began to explain.

"The group behind your abduction is called 'Wellmen Global Reserves,' and they're a pretty big outfit," he reported. "The money trail suggests they're a professional group about the size of a mid-range corporation. They've had interactions all over the world, but the vast majority in the last few years has been focused in Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The island location is a pretty recent installation, though."

"These guys are bad news, Benton," Race picked up the narrative. "They've got connections to half the governments in the world we wouldn't call first or second if we were in a tight spot, and they're truly mercenary. As in they don't pick sides. Kidnapping Sentinels is only part of what they do – they also apparently train them and sell them to the highest bidder, and they have no problem later going after an ally if the money is right."

"How many Sentinels are we talking about here?" Blair's eyes were wide.

Jim looked at him with deeply repressed rage and maybe also fear. "Hundreds, Chief. Hundreds of Sentinels in their own privatized human trafficking ring. Maybe thousands."

"That's impossible!" he shook his head. "There's no way there are that many Sentinels in the world and no record of them anywhere. I looked! I looked everywhere! Believe me!"

"You weren't looking in the right places," Jessie said lowly. "Because all these Sentinels are part of one military or another. Russia, China, North Korea, countries like that. The Wellmen Global Reserves makes a business out of finding them, training them, and passing them to their business associates. Apparently they contract with governments who want them."

"Oh my god," Blair ran a shaking hand through his hair. "Oh my god."

"There's a pattern to the countries that trade in Sentinels," Race continued stoutly. "They're all pretty authoritarian as systems go, at least in practice. Countries that thrive on centralized control, secrecy, paranoia, and force."

"Like Brunei," Jim nodded. "No wonder they weren't on our side."

"Think about it," Jessie leaned forward. "If you're a dictator held up by the sheer power of your military and you fear democratization, what better tool to have at your disposal than a Sentinel? Not only as a guard to protect you from your political enemies or an assassin, but as a spy. Imagine having someone you could send out into the streets who could find traitors or identify a rebellion before it ever happens."

"But Sentinels are protectors of their tribe!" Blair protested. "They're genetically wired to help their people, not repress them!"

"Maybe, Chief," Jim said. He reached up to grasp his friend's arm and steer him so he could look at the screen facing Jim. "Maybe a true Sentinel is. But I'm not sure these Sentinels ever got the chance to learn that."

"What do you mean?" Hadji spoke for the first time.

Race's voice was tight. "Looks like one of Wellmen's specialties in dealing with Sentinels is what they call 'reeducation.' Basically, they train Sentinels to be totally loyal to their handlers, usually a small squad of soldiers that are part of the deal. The Sentinel sees that small group as their tribe and will obey any orders given as long as they don't directly bring the squad to harm. At least, that's what they advertise. And…there's a lot of psychological conditioning involved as well."

"How so?" Doctor Quest looked more than a little green.

"It's almost the total opposite of Blair's research," Jessie explained. "While he was focusing on teaching Jim to control his senses, to own them, to embrace his instincts and his abilities to make them more robust no matter his environment, these guys acutely disempower their Sentinels. They teach their Sentinels how to use their senses, sure, but they leave them with almost no direct control. The Sentinels can't function in society without help. They can't sleep in a room that isn't stacked with white-noise generators. They can't cope with anything on their own. They are totally dependent on their handlers, without whom they get completely lost in sensory fugue or overload."

"Learned helplessness," Blair's gaze raked over the screen. "It makes it so no Sentinel will ever get out of the program. They literally can't function without the people who hold their leashes."

"Wellmen Global Reserves," Benton mused for a moment. Then he snapped his fingers. "Of course! 'It is said that a wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top.' In this case, a Sentinel, who not only has the physical ability to literally see more, but also a resource that must be acquired, controlled, confined, and maintained as a commodity."

"A commodity…" Hadji echoed. He shivered. "No wonder they wished us to experiment as they did. There is much that now makes sense."

"And a tough call to make," Race met Benton's eyes. "These people know about Jim and Jaga. And they know about Blair's research. They're not going to forget any time soon."

"We need to get to someplace secure," Jim nodded. "Originally we said we'd head for your place, but when Jonny got so sick we came here instead. But now…"

"We're not leaving Jonny behind!" Jessie snapped.

"Of course not," Race shook his head. "But the question is – can we move him, Doc?"

All eyes shifted to Benton. He let out a long, tense breath that hitched as though it were trying to turn into a hiccup or a sob.

"We have to," he decided after a moment. "If they find us here, they'll find Jonny, too. Jim and Jaga are already full Sentinels and can hold their own, but Jonny…" he swallowed.

"Does not have lifetime of practice knowing his own mind," Jaga said softly. "He is clay, easy to mold."

"Exactly," Doctor Quest nodded. "He's stabilized, and the truth is that there probably isn't much more we can do for him here that we can't do at home. I don't have an MRI at the compound, but now that I know what's happening, I don't really need one. All I can do now is monitor him and hope that the changes happening don't cause him any more harm. Besides, no hospital is going to let me play in their labs and experiment on my own son without my having to explain everything, no matter how many favors I call in. But I might be able to do some good with what I have at home."

He looked up. "And I know that Jonny would rather take the risk and head home than wait for anyone to find him, and the rest of us, here."

"You're right, Doctor Quest," Hadji said softly. "Were he here, he would plead with you to ensure all our safety rather than just his. And we will all be safer on our own lands."

"Okay. So, everybody get some rest. We'll mount a double-watch, here and at the hospital, just in case. Benton, you're sleeping here and you're not arguing with me. You're going to need to be sharp enough to be an MRI and a nurse all at the same time and you can't do that on no sleep," Race wagged his finger at his friend. "I'll send Jim to Jonny – there's nobody who can protect him better. We'll take off as soon as I can get clearance in the morning."

"Then you don't take a watch, either, dad," Jessie pointed out. "We'll need you to pilot."

"You either, Chief." Jim looked up at Blair's surprise. "You're our Sentinel expert, Sandburg. And I know you didn't sleep on the plane."

The remaining four split the rest of the night, a bit less than six hours, into halves and separated – Jim and Jessie to the hospital and Jaga and Hadji to keep watch over the dorm. But Blair quietly followed after the hospital-bound pair anyway. When pressed, he promised to sleep, but he didn't like the idea of not being around for Jim if something went wrong. "I'm still your partner," he argued, "so I'm going to watch your back even if you have to wake me up to do it!"

Benton called ahead to the head nurse on the night shift and somehow talked her into allowing the trio unlimited access to Jonny's room for the night. Jessie squeezed Jonny's hand tightly once before curling up on the other bed in the room and dropping off into sleep almost at once. When her breathing and heart-rate told Jim she was truly out, he turned to Blair.

"So, what happens now, Darwin?"

"I don't know, Jim," he answered tiredly. "I really don't know anymore."

"Me either."

Blair looked up and saw a much greater admission in those two words. He saw Jim's uncertainty, his old fear of revealing himself magnified tenfold. He saw Jim's worry about the Quests and the danger they now faced. He saw Jim's unparalleled fear for his partner, for what might come to Blair now that they had so many more enemies than they had ever imagined. He saw Jim adrift, warring with his instincts and his responsibilities and his feelings, and like with the dissertation disaster, he knew Jim was just as afraid to move forward as he was to retreat.

"I guess I do know one thing," Blair found himself saying, the need to give Jim something to hold onto driving inspiration.

"What's that?"

"If…when Jonny wakes up, he's going to need help." He looked into Jim's face and saw it close even more at the implication.

Jim sidestepped the issue. "You're the teacher, not me, Sandburg."

"I'm a Guide," Blair admitted. "But I'm not a Sentinel. There's things only you can help him with."

Jim looked at the still boy, almost as pale as the white sheets that surrounded him. He remembered the kid's courage, his loyalty, his dedication. And now if he ever woke up, he would wake straight up into sensory chaos and a slow descent into madness. Jim couldn't wish that on him.

But all he said was, "We'll see, Chief. We'll see."