Rating: M | Multi-Chapter | Paced Publishing

Obviously, there are some spoilers for 3Below in the following chapter; however, my interpretation of Akiridion physiology is just my own imagination. Enjoy, my loves!

Chapter Twenty-Nine

When Jim came to, he would have thought that he had indulged in too much Glug again, if not for the fact that he could remember everything that had happened. His mind seemed to be clear, but his body was heavy and sluggish, his head pounding and his mouth dry.

"Aj…a?" Jim tried to sound out, prying his eyes open only to cringe back as they were met with a harsh, florescent purple light. He could smell Aja's familiar ozone scent close by; he could also smell the scents of many other things, some unknown, but most were distinctly human. As the heaviness in his head began to lessen, he cautiously blinked his eyes open again, his vision clearing as they adjusted to his surroundings. Again, he was met with the purple light, and he realized that it was coming from a couple of surgical lights above him, but they were pointed away from him, their beams visible, but directed at the ceiling. Jim tried to lift his arm to shield his eyes, but was surprised to feel that both of his arms were strapped down by his sides. Testing his legs, he discovered with a growing sense of dread that they were strapped down as well.

A groaning sound to his right caught Jim's attention, and he jerked his head to the side quickly, cringing and hissing in pain as his horn clanged against the metal surface that he was strapped down on. When the echoing in his head and his spinning vision finally faded away, he was met with the sight of Aja lying right next to him in her alien form. Her expression was scrunched in pain, her head lolling to the side weakly, like she was just coming to as well and felt just as bad as he did. In fact, Jim noticed that her normal glow was extremely dull, barely giving off any light at all, and her complexion was dark and blotchy. He was surprised to see that the metallic black suit that she had been wearing was gone, and she was strapped down as well. Jim was even more shocked to see that her naked body was transparent, her bones and organs (or what approximated to organs, he guessed) clearly visible through the thin membrane of her blue flesh. He realized now that the thing in the center of her chest that he had assumed to be an emblem of some sort was actually within her body, pulsing with a brief light in a patterned time… like a heartbeat. The structure of her body was very doll-ish, in that she seemed to have the shape of a human woman (albeit, with extra arms), but none of the distinctive features, very much like a Barbie doll. He hadn't thought much about her suit when he had first seen it, only noting that it covered almost her entire body and even most of her head and neck, but as he looked her over in shock, he realized that it was meant to protect her vulnerable body — without it, she was completely exposed and easily injured or killed.

"Aja," Jim said again, his voice low and frantic. He was struggling against his bonds, but he couldn't even manage to loosen them. He didn't know what the heck they were made of, but he knew that he should have been able to rip through even steel chains with the strength that he was using. "Aja, wake up!"

"I am awake," Aja moaned, cringing at the sound of her own voice, and Jim knew that her head was likely pounding in the same manner as his. "But I do not think I want to be."

"Can you break your restraints?" Jim asked, attempting to reach out with his fingers to touch the straps holding her two left hands down next to his, but it was just out of his reach. "I don't know what they're made of, but mine are holding tight."

Aja's arms tightened at her side, and he watched in fascination as her muscles flexed and her bones shifted beneath her transparent skin. She struggled for almost a minute before groaning in agitation and wrenching her eyes open to glare down at her left wrists. "I cannot— oh!"

"What?" Jim asked, frowning in confusion as Aja twisted her head away from his direction, and her glow began to build back up quickly. He winced as he saw her brain and brain stem beneath her skin as she turned her head. "Aja? Are you feeling sick?"

"Uh, no," Aja said in a tense voice, what little he could see of her face becoming blotchy again, but with an extra bright glow instead of the dimness that it had been. "I… am not covered."

"Oh…" Jim almost laughed at the ridiculousness of her embarrassment, given the very grave situation. "I'm more worried about getting out of here than seeing you naked, Aja."

"N-no, I…" Aja twisted her head back toward him, her wide black and blue eyes glaring back into his fixedly, her cheeks glowing brightly. "You… are not covered either."

"What?" Jim gasped, jerking his head up to glare down the length of his body, and then groaned in embarrassment as he saw his own nakedness. "Great."

"Oh, no…" Aja groaned, and Jim looked back toward her to see her looking around the room with a growing look of horror. "I am thinking that we are in a lot of trouble."

Looking around for himself, Jim saw that they were in some kind of large room, white and sterile looking. A faint purple glow from the fluorescent lamps above reflected off of the white tiled floor and walls; combined with the blue glow coming from Aja, the sight was almost too harsh on his eyes, only worsening his headache. There was a single, steel door on the wall to their left, a hefty metal beam bolted across it, though Jim suspected that it was meant for show. The sounds of electronic beeps, whirs, and buzzing coming from the door signaled that the real security wasn't something that they would get through easily. Along the right wall ran a long counter, various tools laid out neatly on top. Jim felt sick to his stomach as he noticed surgical tools, syringes, vials of unknown liquids, and even a bone saw amongst the collection.

"Deya, this is bad," Jim breathed in a low voice. He tried to rip free of his restraints again, but the more strength that he used, the tighter the bonds seemed to hold. "Damn it!"

"I cannot break mine, either!" Aja growled, her fists clenching and twisting as she tried to break free. "I do not understand! I can lift one of your automobiles without much effort — this should not be this difficult!"

Before Jim could reply, a sound of static burst through the room, and then a booming female voice started to echo around them, causing both Jim and Aja to cringe. Jim's ears fell back, trying to lessen the headache inducing sound, but all it did was make it louder.

"You'll find that your restraints won't be easily broken by either of you," the voice rang out, and Jim recognized the arrogant tone as belonging to Darci's aunt. "They were designed with extraterrestrial strength in mind, combining alien tech and substances to create the strongest material on Earth. In your case, James, you'll notice that we've had our magic expert inscribe your bonds with a restraint spell, as an extra precaution."

"Wha…?" Jim frowned, lifting his head again to look down at the seemingly normal looking white cloth holding his arms down by the wrists. Now that he really looked at them, he noticed that it seemed someone had taken a Sharpie to them, writing arcane symbols on the cloth. Jim almost laughed, but managed to bite back the action. Whoever her "magic expert" was, he or she had absolutely no idea what they were doing, nor did they actually have any power. The symbols on his restraints were merely a more arcane form of Trollish, and while it was a spell, it was a fertility spell (which only made him want to laugh all the more), and it had absolutely no power behind it. Still, the bonds were strong enough on their own that he could not break them.

"I think you'll find that struggling is pointless," the woman's voice went on menacingly, and Jim remained quiet, looking around the room for the source of the voice.

"What are you going to do with us?!" Aja exclaimed, beginning to struggle again despite the woman's assurance that the bonds wouldn't break. "You cannot just take whatever you want!"

"I think you'll find that the military has every right that we need to act in the face of a threat."

"We haven't threatened anyone!" Jim shouted, his eyes finally landing on a speaker in one of the far corners of the room. From the way the sound was coming from all directions, Jim was sure that this was not the only speaker, but it was the only one that he could see from his current angle. Next to the speaker was a camera, and it was directed right at them, their reflections visible in the lens.

"No? Then you are not to blame for the so-called fire tornado that ripped through Arcadia last year?"

Jim cringed in guilt, but refused to allow the reminder to weaken his resolve. "Yes, I was involved in that, but if I fought to protect Arcadia — to protect everyone."

"And a few days before that, someone was able to hack into the Arcadia power grid and manipulate the mainframe to cause a city-wide power outage. The source was tracked to the Nuñez residence, but I suspect someone else as the culprit. Any takers?"

"Ah," Aja gasped, her expression twisting with guilt.

"That was me too," Jim interjected quickly, his fists clenching in agitation and a low growl building in his throat. "No one else had anything to do with it."

The female voice chuckled darkly. "Oh, don't be chivalrous, James. We know it was one of the Tarron siblings; no Earthly being could have been able to hack the system with enough ease and finesse as what was executed that night."

"Well, if you know so much, what the hell do you need us for?" Jim shouted, jerking angrily at the bonds. The metal table that he was strapped down to started rattle and rock with the strength that he was exerting, and yet the bonds still would not break. "Let us go!"

"And give up the chance to study such a fine pair of specimens? Oh, no. No, that won't do at all."

As if on cue, there was hissing sound to Jim's left, and he and Aja turned to see the door's bolt sliding to the side, and then it swung open with another hiss. Several people filed in, all wearing scrubs, lab coats, and germ masks, save for the one woman leading the pack. Darci's aunt had the most arrogant and self-satisfied look on her face that Jim had ever seen someone wear before, and he wanted to punch her for it. How in the world could someone as kind and compassionate as Darci Scott be related to this deplorable woman?!

"Let us go," Jim repeated in a firm and dangerous voice as the woman walked up to them, her figure towering over their prone forms intimidatingly.

"You're in no position to bargain, James," the woman said, tsk-ing under her tongue mockingly. With a smirk, she reached up for one of the surgical lights above them and twisted it down and around so that the strange, purple light shone down on him.

"JIM! STOP IT! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?!"

Jim heard Aja's screams, but they were drowned out amidst his own as the light bore down on him, and he could literally feel his flesh burning and beginning to be eaten away. In all the times that he had gotten a brief 'sunburn,' none had ever felt as agonizing as this. He was completely exposed to the UV lights and could not move away from them, even though he struggled harder than he ever had. Everything felt like it was on fire, and the heat from the lights only grew more intense with each layer of his flesh that was eaten away. Jim didn't know how long the woman kept the light on him, but it felt like hours had passed by the time she decided that she'd tortured him enough and finally — finally — turned the light away again.

"Interesting," she hummed thoughtfully as Jim's body went limp, trembling with aftershocks of horrible pain. His head lolled to the side weakly, and he coughed, gasping for breath, and was surprised to taste blood on the back of his tongue. "Make a note about the speed of the healing factor — his wounds began to heal as soon as the exposure was gone."

"You do not have to torture us," Aja exclaimed, and Jim could hear the catch in her throat, and cracked his eyes open to see her face turned in his direction, her eyes wide, afraid, and spilling tears.

"I'm… okay," Jim whispered back to her weakly, but it wasn't true. He was terrified for both of them, and he was trying desperately to not concentrate on his soul bond with his mate. Distance made no difference, and he could feel her presence within himself as if she were right next to him. He had been aware of it since the moment he'd woken up, and she was in full panic mode. The more fear and panic she felt from him only made hers heighten, which made his worse too.

"This is not torture," the woman said in a smooth voice. Jim could hear the clang of instruments being moved around, the echoing footsteps from the people moving around the room, the sound of someone writing notes down, but he kept his gaze locked with Aja's, too afraid to look elsewhere. "If it were mere torture, we wouldn't be able to gather important, scientific data, like we are now. Now, tell me, Aja: your unique physiology lets me see your body structure without need for X-rays or dissection — which is good for you — but I've noticed that you're very similar to a human. How far does that go?"

"I do not know what you mean," Aja said in an angry voice, trying to twist her body to hide herself, though it was moot point with her completely transparent flesh.

"Well, for example," the woman replied, walking around from Jim's side of the table to Aja's. She reached up and plucked a pen that had been tucked behind her ear and used the tip to poke the smooth curve of Aja's chest. "You are female, correct?"

"What else would I be?!" Aja yelled back, her glow brightening in anger and embarrassment. Jim's protective instincts were going into overdrive, but he was too weak to do more than growl threateningly.

"Seeing as you lack any recognizable distinctive features of a human woman, I have to admit, we weren't sure," the woman shrugged, taking her pen and moving it down to poke at the flat and smooth area between Aja's legs.

"Do not touch me!" the alien girl screamed, twisting her body away from the woman's probing pen. "Do you not have any decency?!"

"I would doubt it," Jim grunted, coughing up a small amount of blood, but managing to lift his head with enough strength to show that he wasn't so weak that he wouldn't continue to fight. "How can you possibly be related to Darci?"

"Her father is my brother, simple as that," she replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "Granted, if I had known the connections that my niece had, I would have acted much sooner. She's always held loyalty to her friends above loyalty to her family, however, so it doesn't surprise me that she's kept her connections secret. Gregory," the woman turned to a young, red-haired man who was scribbling notes down on a clipboard. "Make a note that prolonged exposure to the UVs caused minor internal damage."

"Yes, Colonel Kubritz," Gregory nodded, jotting down the information obediently. "Should I have aid administered, or observe his own healing abilities?"

"Observe," Kubritz replied, nodding thoughtfully. She used her pen to continue poking Aja in various areas.

"Stop with your incessant poking, you soolian!" Aja shouted, and she lifted her head to snap her teeth. Kubritz jerked her hand back at the last second, laughing.

"My, you're feisty!" she chuckled, but continued her poking, this time keeping her hand out of reach of Aja's mouth. "Interesting. You have what approximates to a human digestive system, but I see here," she poked Aja's lower stomach, using the tip of her pen to draw circles and lines on Aja's skin. "…that you lack what would approximate to any type of reproductive organs. What is this, then? A bladder?"

"How dare you?!" Aja ground out through gritted teeth, defiantly continuing to twist her body back and forth in an attempt to escape. Jim noticed the scent of ozone becoming stronger and looked down to see a glowing, blue liquid seeping from Aja's restrained wrists and staining the cloth. His heart jolted in his chest with fear as he realized that Aja was rubbing her wrists into a raw and bleeding state with the strength she was using. "I would not poke and prod at you, and ask you embarrassing questions, so why do you do this to us?"

"For research purposes, of course," Kubritz explained in a voice that suggested that the answer was obvious. "To protect the human race against dangerous invaders, such as yourselves."

Jim barked a low laugh. "Invaders? So far, you're the only one invading anything! You know… like our personal space."

"Hmm," Kubritz hummed to herself again, and then walked back over to his side of the table. Taking her pen, she proceeded to poke his chest, the pen tip digging into the deep scar over his heart. "What is this from?"

"You humans have a phrase that I have learned to like," Aja interjected angrily as Jim cringed back in pain. The injury healed ages ago, but still caused him pain if it was agitated… like sticking a pointy object into it. "Fuck you!"

"Gregory, make a note of these scarring patterns," the woman went on, ignoring Aja and poking at another of Jim's deep scars lower on his side. "Now, Mr. Lake — if you don't mind, please change into your human form, so that we can see the differences."

Jim rolled his eyes, scoffing under his breath. "I don't have a human form anymore!"

"Nonsense," Kubritz waved off his argument with a dismissive gesture. "I saw you in your human form just two days ag—"

"Two days?!" Jim and Aja exclaimed in shock at the same time. Jim's panic renewed and Claire responded immediately, and he could almost taste her fear along their bond.

"Almost three, to be exact," Kubritz clarified in a calm voice. "So, there's no need to be shy. Change, please."

"I can't," Jim growled, baring his teeth in annoyance. "I told you — I don't have a human form. What you saw was an illusion."

"Oh? Some kind of cloaking technology or a spell?" she asked, tapping her pen thoughtfully against her lips.

"Like I'd tell you," Jim replied, but then he gasped and cringed back as she reached up to grasp the handle of the surgical light again.

"I said that this wasn't torture, but it can easily become so," Kubritz threatened mildly, her hand gripping the handle of the surgical light. She tilted the light slightly, and Jim couldn't help but to flinch in fright.

"Look, I can't do what you're asking," he said, his heart pounding erratically in his chest.

"Very well, then," Kubritz said, nodding and releasing her hold on the lamp. Turning around briefly, she snatched a small remote-looking object up from a metal tray that had been set up by one of the people in the room. The woman turned back calmly and pressed a button on the object, and a whirring sound started to echo through the room. Jim and Aja both lifted their heads to look toward where a wide canvas screen was being lowered from the ceiling in front of their feet. "Nancy, the electrodes, please. Adam, if you'd turn the projector on?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Right away!"

"What are you doing?!" Jim demanded, twisting his head away as a middle-aged blonde woman in a white lab coat came up to him and proceeded to attach several electrodes to certain places on his scalp. Her hands shifted seamlessly with his movements, as if she were used to having to handle squirming specimens, and the thought made him sick to his stomach.

"Projector ready, ma'am," a male voice said from somewhere behind Jim and Aja, and a white light flickered to life against the screen in front of them.

"Good," Kubritz praised, and then turned to the blonde woman and gave her a sharp nod. The woman nodded back and then stepped out of Jim's line of sight, and he heard various clicks and beeps coming from some machine that she must have been operating. Kubritz turned back to Jim with a smirk. "This might feel a bit strange, James, but bear with us, all right?"

"Like hell — ah!" Jim started to curse the woman, but then the strangest sensation started rattling through his head, like his skull was filled with a beehive and was vibrating with activity. It didn't hurt, but it was one of the weirdest sensations that he had ever experienced and was far from pleasant. "What is thi—?"

Jim broke off with a gasp as familiar images began to flash across the screen in front of them: Barbara in her graduation cap and gown, smiling down at the camera; a younger James Lake Senior, covered in grease, but smiling as he handed a screwdriver to an outstretched toddler's hand; a little Toby, sitting on the sidewalk next to his fallen bike, crying as he clutched his bloody mouth, a couple of teeth in his opposite palm; a thin, human hand clutching his glowing amulet above a pile of rubble; Claire, seated at her school desk and typing on her laptop; Blinky and AAARRRGGHH! looking down at the camera, the ceiling of Jim's basement above them, and excited smiles on their faces; his own human arm, encased in armor and hefting Daylight to point toward the evening twilight sky; Draal, mid-roll as he barreled down in the direction of the camera; Claire again, barely an inch from the camera and looking up with a loving expression, the soft lights of the city spread out behind her.

"STOP!" Jim shouted, wrenching his head left and right in an attempt to dislodge the electrodes from his scalp. He'd realized what this was and what was happening. These were not photos that had been taken, but his own memories — images from his perspective, things that he had seen with his own eyes. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

No one responded, and the images continued to play out in front of them, some of them lingering longer than others. Vivid memories — those that were important to him — played like video snippets. Fighting Angor Rot with Strickler; facing off and killing Bular; calm moments with his friends; being tortured in the Darklands; watching Draal sacrifice his life for Jim's; Morgana readying to cast her death magic at his friends; his four fingered troll hand grasping his mate's bare thigh…

"Stop," Jim begged weakly, his head buzzing incessantly. Grinding his teeth together and squeezing his eyes shut, Jim concentrated hard on his own power. He didn't like using magic outside of what he would use by harnessing the Amulet, but that didn't mean that he was unable to. "Bränna!"

Several shouts rang up as the screen burst into flames, and even Kubritz jumped back in shock before rushing forward to help put the fire out. The flames were white hot and only grew larger with each passing second.

"What have you done?!" Kubritz shouted back at Jim, and then started barking orders out to the other people rushing around the room. Someone ran out of the room to retrieve a fire extinguisher, leaving the door wide open behind them.

"Ha sönder!" Jim commanded under his breath, taking advantage of the distraction in the room. The bonds around his wrists and ankles rattled, but remained intact. Growling, Jim poured more power into the command. "Ha sönder! HA SÖNDER!"

Aja let out a surprised shout as their bonds shattered into pieces, and Jim gasped for breath, dizzy from the outpouring of power. Aja grabbed his hand in two of hers and yanked him to his feet as she vaulted herself off of the table, and he stumbled after her as she dragged him toward the door. Distracted by the fire, no one noticed their escape right away.

"This way!" Aja said in a low and sure voice as she turned down a hall to the left, and then made two rights.

"How do you know your way around?" Jim gasped, still short of breath as he recovered some of his magic.

"I… I have been here before," Aja admitted. She turned a corner, and then jerked back with a gasp, pushing him back against the wall as a door opened further down the hall and two people dressed in orange hazmat suits strolled out casually. "Stay qui—"

"ALERT! ALERT!" The hallway was plunged into darkness, the red emergency strobes flaring to life as a robotic female voice rang out through the building. "ALERT! CODE THREE NINETY-FOUR IN PROGRESS. REPEAT: CODE THREE NINETY-FOUR IN PROGRESS. ALERT!"

"Code three ninety-four?" one of the orange guys said to his friend. "Ah, geez! Which one was that again?"

"Specimen escape!" his friend responded with a gasp. "Quick! Let's get our neutralizers! Think of the raise we'll get, if we manage to catch it!"

"We don't even know what we're looking for!" the first guy said in a nervous tone.

"Dude, if it's not human, and it's running for the exit, chances are that that's what we're looking for!"

"Good point!"

"I have to find my Amulet," Jim whispered to Aja as they watched the two people in suits disappear around another corner. "And, preferably, some pants."

"Now is not the time for omelets, Jim!" Aja whispered back angrily, her two left hands grabbing his right arm and shaking him roughly. "Is that a male thing across all planets? That you always think with your stomach?!"

"My Amulet, Aja," Jim said, allowing himself to laugh a little. "My magic gem."

"Oh," Aja replied, lifting one of her hands to rub thoughtfully at her chin. "There is a place where they hold objects for study, but I was not in that building before. I am unsure of how to get there from here."

"I can summon it, but I've expended too much power to call it from this distance," Jim said, leaning heavily against the wall and glancing nervously in either direction. "If we can evade capture long enough to get close to the building, I can try to summon it from there."

"Then let us go!" Aja exclaimed, grabbing his hand with two of hers and starting to pull him along behind her.

"Aja, wait," Jim demanded, digging his heels in, though her strength was surprisingly hefty. Granted, she hadn't been tortured or expended massive amounts of magical power. "You can't just rush off into battle without looking where you're going!"

"And we cannot just stand here and wait for them to find us!" the alien girl argued, gesturing between their bodies pointedly. "We are both too vulnerable and exposed right now."

"Don't remind me," Jim groaned, rolling his eyes. His breath was catching, his chest aching, and his emotions were going haywire.

"What is wrong with you?" Aja demanded, shaking his arm again. "That woman said that you heal fast, and I see no more injuries on you. What is wrong?"

"It's not me," Jim shook his head, lifting one of his hands to press against his chest, over his heart. "Something's not right."

"Yes, we are trapped in a secret military base, and if we are captured again, they will not give us the chance to make another escape!" Aja exclaimed in a panicked whisper, tugging on him again and, this time, getting him to fall into step behind her.

Jim allowed Aja to pull him along the various hallways, only half paying attention to his surroundings. Claire's emotions were all over the place and only worsening as time progressed, even as he tried to send her a feeling of calm and reassurance. She was panicking and scared, which he expected, but overpowering that was a drowning sense of grief, combined with guilt, which he didn't understand. Jim knew that his mate could feel him because she would respond to his emotions as he responded to hers, but nothing he did seemed to reassure her. It was at times like this where he wished that their bond really did allow them to read each other's minds.

"There! Down Wing F-23!"

"Kleb!" Aja cursed, screeching to a halt as she made a turn without looking, and they came face to face with a handful of weapon wielding hazmat suits. Jim jerked Aja back by the grip she had on his arm and attempted to backtrack, but doors began to fly open on either side of the hall, dozens of people toting various weapons and neutralizers filing into the hall. They were trapped.

"Arms up!" one of the suits in front shouted. Several guns cocked, ready to fire, if they failed to comply. Having no other choice, Jim and Aja did as they were told, raising their hands into the air.

"Now would be a good time for one of your spells," Aja muttered nervously out of the corner of her mouth, and Jim swallowed hard, pulling on his reserve of power again.

"This is going to wipe me out," Jim warned, and Aja gave a sharp nod of understanding, her body shifting slightly to brace for whatever he had planned. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard again, even as another of the suits demanded that they keep still. "Brän— Ah!"

"Jim!"

Jim barely heard Aja's exclamation as he fell to his knees, both of his hands grasping desperately at his chest. He was unable to suck in even the smallest of breaths as Claire's presence completely muted along their bond, all of her emotions dying down into non-existence in an instance. He could still feel her life force, but it was like her soul had been put into a deep sleep. Desperately probing deeper, Jim was relieved to note that he could at least feel his daughter's presence, strong and healthy.

"Claire," Jim mumbled to himself, his chest aching and his head spinning. "What…?"

"Jim, move!"

Aja dragged Jim back to his feet, but he could barely keep his own weight up, let alone muster enough energy to cast a spell. Someone must have decided that they'd had enough of the standoff, and then Jim and Aja were falling again, a familiar sting piercing Jim's left hip. From the dazed look on Aja's face, she had been struck with a tranquilizer too.

As he continued to search frantically for his mate's presence along their bond, Jim's world fell into darkness once again.

. . .

The next time Jim woke up, he was alone in a cell of some sort, the walls made of thick cement, and no doubt reinforced with titanium girders and — from the distinctive smell of gun powder — explosives. Even if he were to brave a spell that would break down the wall or set something on fire, he would blow himself up in the process. Aside from that, he was so tired that he couldn't even push himself up on the hospital bed that he was lying in, let alone get up and stroll around. The fogginess in his head suggested that he was being kept under just enough anesthesia to keep him from being able to call on any of his energy, physical or magical. Searching along his bond with Claire, he was beyond relieved to find her again, though there was still an overwhelming sense of grief coming from her.

I'm okay, Jim thought, concentrating on sending her a feeling of reassurance and wishing that he could hear his mate's voice respond. He did relax when she sent back a feeling of relief and love.

"Feeling better, Mr. Lake?"

Jim blinked his eyes open tiredly, his head lolling to the side to see the red headed man that had been taking notes in the room that he had first woken up in. He was standing on the left side of Jim's bed, making adjustments on a machine that had wire flowing from it and under Jim's hospital gown.

"I… get clothes… this time?" Jim asked, mentally cursing at the weakness of his tone. His voice was so cracked and heavy that he was surprised that he hadn't slurred any of his words.

"Your external examination was completed three days ago," the man nodded, and Jim remembered that Kubritz had called him 'Gregory.' "We've been monitoring your vitals as you've slept."

"Find any…thing… interesting?" Jim attempted to joke, but it fell flat with the struggle it took for him to get the words out.

"There were some interesting brain wave patterns that we've been studying more closely," Gregory admitted, turning another dial on the machine. "The patterns are identical to those that a human brain would exhibit when holding a live conversation."

"Dreaming," Jim shrugged, swallowing thickly, his mouth dry.

"No," the man shook his head, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Dreams create distinctly different types of patterns and are created in a separate space of the brain. You were also under too much anesthetic to induce dream sleep."

"Aja?"

"The alien female is being held in a separate cell, in a different building."

"She prefers… to be called… Aki…ridion," Jim said, trying to sound harsh, but only managing to raise his voice enough to speak at just above a hoarse whisper.

"So she's told us," Gregory chuckled. "Repeatedly."

"How long…?" Jim tried to ask, but his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, too dry to finish the sentence.

"You'll have been in containment for a week and a half tomorrow," Gregory replied, successfully guessing Jim's question.

Alarmed, Jim began to struggle, but he could barely lift his eyelids, let alone his arms. "What? I can't… you have to… you have to let us… go."

"We can't do that," Gregory said, and his voice was slightly guilty, as if he wished that he could give in to Jim's demand. "I'm sorry."

"We aren't… invaders," Jim tried again, but the man didn't respond, staring fixedly at the machine in front of him. "I… have to… get home."

"I'm sorry," the man repeated, frowning deeply as he avoided looking at Jim. Reaching down to his waist, Gregory unclipped a walkie talkie from his belt and brought it up to his mouth. "He's come to, ma'am."

There was a pause, and then Kubritz's voice crackled through in response. "Good. Keep him under just enough to prevent him from gaining any energy."

"Yes, ma'am," Gregory replied, nodding as he pressed a button on the machine in front of him. A second later, a wave of heaviness fell over Jim, causing his head to fall back and loll lazily to the side. His chest felt heavy, and his breathing became deep as he hovered on the verge of artificial sleep.

"Keep monitoring him. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Claire…" Jim mumbled to himself, trying to sift through the fog weighing down on him to feel for his mate. He was scared, both for himself and for her, and she was the only thing familiar that he had any connection to in that moment.

"Is she a friend of yours?" Jim heard Gregory ask in a soft and friendly voice. He blinked his heavy eyelids open to see the man still staring at the machine, biting his lip nervously. "You said her name a lot when you were in between anesthetic doses."

Jim swallowed thickly, but didn't answer the question directly. "Thought… you guys… could… read my… mind."

"Not when your brain isn't in an active state," Gregory chuckled darkly, and Jim was surprised at the slight tone of anger in the man's voice. "You were under too much anesthetic."

"Sorry… to dis…appoint," Jim mumbled with a weak laugh, his eyes drifting closed again.

"I think it's kind of an underhanded tactic, anyway."

Jim struggled to open his eyes again, but when he did, he glared harshly at the red-haired man. "Prefer tor…ture?"

"No," Gregory sighed, finally looking away from the machine to face Jim, his brown eyes downcast. "I… not all of us approve of how live specimens are treated."

"Then… do something… about… it," Jim replied, a slight growl building in his chest. Gregory looked up, startled by the sound, and shook his head.

"I can't," he said in a broken whisper. "I'm so sorry, but we can't."

"Why?" Jim demanded.

Gregory glanced away and then back again, a spark of anger in his expression. "The fire tornado… it was caused by a war between your kind. The rest of us just got dragged into it."

"I'm sorry," Jim said, his heart twisting in guilt. "It's not… what you… think. Those we fought… wanted… to sub…jugate… the humans. We fought to… prevent that."

"My little sister was on the bridge," Gregory said, turning back to the machine, his eyes becoming red-rimmed. "Her back was broken in five places when another car slammed into hers. Now, she's paralyzed from the neck down. Who do I blame for that?"

Jim cringed, shaking his head weakly. "I'm… so sorry."

"We have to know how to protect ourselves from any danger," Gregory said, his voice firm. "Otherwise, innocent people get caught in the crosshairs."

Before Jim could respond, the sound of electronic beeps and whirs sounded from the far wall, and then the door sung open. Kubritz strolled into the room casually, making a smooth beeline to the side of Jim's bed. When she stopped at his side, she turned slightly to address Gregory. "Thank you. I can handle things from here, Gregory. I will call you when I am through with him."

"Yes, ma'am," Gregory nodded obediently, and then turned to leave, closing the door behind him and engaging the lock.

"Now, then," Kubritz said in a soft, controlled voice as she turned back to smirk down at Jim. "I apologize for the heavy sedation, James, but we underestimated your abilities before. You'll be proud to know that your little fireworks show burnt down all of Wing M-12. It took two days to control. That's quite the party trick." Jim didn't reply, merely glaring back at the woman. She seemed to have expected his reaction, however, and her smirk widened as she continued speaking to him. "We managed to get some interesting vitals off of you while you were sleeping, though — who were you speaking to?"

"I don't… know… what you're… talking about," Jim growled, huffing a heavy breath through his nose in agitation.

"Now, James," Kubritz tsk-ed mockingly, shaking her head in a gesture of disapproval. "We were monitoring your brain wave patterns, and we know that you were holding a conversation with someone, so tell me who it was."

"I was… un…concious," Jim growled, baring his teeth weakly at the wretched woman. "How… could I have… talked… with any…one?"

"Tell me who it was!" Kubritz shouted, her calm demeanor breaking as she slammed her hands down on the bedrail and shook it angrily.

Jim huffed a laugh, rolling his heavy eyes. "You're… crazy."

Kubritz looked like she desperately wanted to punch him, but she reined herself in and straightened her stance, her hands still gripping the bedrail. "Well… maybe you don't know what I'm referring to. Maybe you don't remember. That's conceivable, I suppose, given how heavily you were anesthetized; however, that being said, even dreaming is impossible with how deeply you were under… so I'm sure you can understand why we're so very interested in how your brain could have been showing evidence of holding a live and active conversation during that time."

Jim could only guess that whatever Kubritz's readings had shown her, she was seeing his interaction with Claire through their Soul Bond. Though he had no recollection of anything while he had been under, the truth was that he and Claire were always connected, no matter the distance, nor the physical state of the other. The readings could have even shown his bond with his daughter, though his connection to her was not as intimate as with Claire. The idea that there was scientific evidence to prove the existence of something that had previously been pure magic was both intriguing and terrifying to Jim. If they could see how he reacted or responded to someone seemingly outside of the base — and, thus, their control — what would stop them from finding and imprisoning everyone he knew and loved for scientific study? What if they found Claire? Worse, what if they found Ellie? His baby was unique amongst both troll and human kind, and Kubritz already knew this. The woman may not have seen the babe while she had been hidden away in her sling, but Jim knew that the woman's glasses had somehow read the baby's DNA. Kubritz knew what Ellie was, and Jim would be damned if he would let this bitch find his child.

"Maybe… I can… read your… mind," Jim said, smirking slightly.

Kubritz chuckled, shaking her head. "Then you never would have been caught off guard."

"Damn," Jim sighed dramatically, his eyes drifting closed lazily. "Guess you'll… just… have to… keep looking."

"James, I really don't want to torture you," Kubritz said in an exasperated voice. "Specimens tend to not survive for very long once torture is introduced, and you're too valuable to lose. Do us both a favor, and tell me what I want to know."

"Can't," Jim replied, shrugging as best as he could, given that he could barely move. "Too bad… you never… met… Gunmar. He… was a fan of… torture… too. Never… worked."

"All right, then," Kubritz said in a calm tone, and Jim opened his eyes again to look at her. Her expression was thoughtful as she considered her options. Finally, she locked her gaze with his and said, "Maybe I should rephrase my question: who do you think you would have been most likely interacting with? I have my suspicions, of course."

"Tell me," Jim demanded in a low voice, breathing deeply to keep himself from showing any emotion. As he tasted the air around them, he noted the faint scent of magic in the room, but it wasn't his own.

"You kept saying the name 'Claire' in the spaces of time when your anesthesia doses wore down," Kubritz explained, nodding thoughtfully to herself. "I assume that this 'Claire' is Councilwoman Nuñez's daughter?" Jim remained silent, his chest vibrating with a low growl that the Colonel was ignoring. She smirked again at his refusal to answer the question, no doubt finding her answer in that. "And I assume, then, that this same 'Claire' just so happens to be the mother of that very interesting baby your were cradling when we first met?"

"You leave… them… alone!" Jim growled, agitated as the magic in the air quickly built up in the room. Kubritz seemed completely unresponsive to it, and Jim wondered if maybe she had managed to find herself a real 'magic expert' this time, and was not reacting to the power around them because she had expected it, or if she just couldn't sense it at all.

"Really, James?" Kubritz laughed, rolling her eyes. "Look at you! We have you so incapacitated that you can barely string a sentence together! What could you possibly do to—"

The room ignited with a blinding blue light as the building magic surged and burst. Jim cringed back against the light, squeezing his eyes shut instinctively. He heard Kubritz let out a surprised shout, which was abruptly cut off with a long gurgling sound. Jim gasped when he heard the woman cough, and then his face was spattered with warm, sticky liquid. Wrenching his eyes open, he watched in dazed horror as the woman looked down at him in shock, her lips and teeth stained with dark, red blood, and her hands clutching at her mid-section… where a glowing arrow tip was protruding through her stomach and between her clutching fingers.

"What…?" Kubritz breathed, blood and spit trailing down her chin. A dull thud! echoed through the room and she lurched forward, coughing up more blood as another arrow struck her from behind.

"Get. Away. From. My. Mate!"

Kubritz turned and stumbled back, tripping over her own feet and falling back across Jim's restrained legs. As she moved, she revealed another figure, a familiar glowing bow in her arms, nocked and drawn taught, ready to fire again.

"Claire…" Jim breathed, relieved, but also terrified. His wife looked awful, like she was barely keeping herself standing. Her limp hair was held up in a loose bun, half of it having escaped the tie, and her face was paler than normal, her eyes red-rimmed. She was wearing loose lounging pants and one of Jim's t-shirts, which hung around her smaller frame, one shoulder exposed by the neckline. The shadows cast by the Moonlight Bow made her face look almost skeletal. Claire's hands trembled, like she was struggling to maintain her grip on the bow, but she continued her advance on Kubritz, and the pure fury his mate was exuding was enough to keep Jim from giving into the doping meds entirely.

"You bitch," Kubritz ground out, coughing up another glob of blood. "You'd kill your best friend's aunt?"

"No," Claire replied in a flat tone, glaring down the woman as she took another menacing step forward. "If I wanted you dead, you would have gotten an arrow between the eyes. This is a warning."

An alarm started blaring through the building, red emergency strobes flashing on and illuminating the room in eerie shades of red and black. Kubritz took advantage of the distraction and made a lunge for Claire, but the girl seemed to have expected this and let her arrow fly. The momentum of the impact to her abdomen threw Kubritz back again, and the woman gasped for breath as blood spilled from her mouth and her wounds. Claire seamlessly nocked another arrow and aimed again.

"Don't make me kill you," Claire threatened in a low, promising voice. "For Darci's sake, I'll hold if you surrender."

"And if I don't?" Kubritz spit out, her voice rattling wetly with the blood in her mouth.

Claire raised her bow, the arrow now aimed directly between the Colonel's eyes. "Then Moonlight here will be the last thing you ever see."

Kubritz's eyes crossed as she eyed the weapon directly in front of her face, as if she were weighing her options. "Even if I surrender, you can only save James. What about your alien friend? You would sacrifice her life?"

"What makes you think we came here without a plan?" Claire asked, smirking slightly. The air around her began to whip and crackle with magic, her eyes becoming pure black with her power, and Kubritz scrambled back, her eyes wide with fright.

"What are you?!" Kubritz demanded, coughing and gasping. Her wide eyes darted almost frantically to Jim, as if begging him to intervene, but he shook his head.

"She's the… sorceress who defeated… Morgana," Jim said in a weak, but proud voice. "I wouldn't mess… with her, if I were… you."

There was a beat of tense silence, and then Kubritz's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she went limp, sliding to the floor in a bloody heap. Claire immediately went limp herself, her magic dissipating entirely, and her eyes becoming their normal brown once again. Pulling the bow over her head and across her chest, she rushed forward to Jim's side, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks.

"Jim! Oh, God, honey…" Claire pressed her mouth to Jim's, and he kissed her back with as much strength as he could muster, which wasn't a lot. Breaking away, a sob caught in her throat as she looked him over, a terrible feeling of grief, guilt, and relief flowing through her that he didn't quite understand.

"I'm… okay," Jim mumbled, trying to lift a hand to reach for his mate, but finding that he didn't have the strength for it. "Damn it…"

"They've got you pretty doped up, huh?"

"Ellie…?" Jim tried to ask, glancing behind Claire as if the baby would be sitting on the floor, waiting patiently.

"She's with Toby and Darci," Claire said, moving her hands over his arms and legs, and using her magic to break the restraints in the same way he had the first time.

"Not… safe," Jim protested weakly, grunting as he tried to help Claire maneuver his body to sit up. It took far too much effort for both of them, and a new wave of uncertain concern washed through him. Something was not right with his mate, but now was not the time to find answers. "They know where—"

"No," Claire said, shaking her head as she helped him slide off of the bed and to his feet. He wobbled briefly, but braced himself against the edge of the bed as Claire moved to rip the IV and electrodes from his skin. "They're not in Arcadia — none of the others are. They're safe."

Jim relaxed slightly at the reassurance, and Claire came back to his side and pulled his arm over her shoulder, bracing his body with hers as she walked them forward a few steps. "Aja…?"

"It's all right," Claire assured him in a loving voice, turning her head to press a kiss to his cloth covered chest. "She's safe too. Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's get out of this hell hole," Claire said, and she reached up to grasp the charm strung around her neck. A second later, they were engulfed in blinding, blue light.

To be continued...

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