Chapter 2
In sanctuary's lab, Jesse and Kristen were running some test on Jim.
"Is this really necessary?" asked Jim.
"Well, let's see. You can't remember the last 3 hours of what happen, woke up with someone else's blood. I say it does," said Jesse.
"Don't worry. We're just going to run a bio-scan to see what happen," said Kristen.
"You guys just like paying doctor," said Jim.
"Yeah. You wish," said Kristen, smiling.
"Whatever is going on, we're going to figure out," said Jesse, as he and Kristen went to one of the computers. Jesse pressed a key on the screen and came out a scan.
"Anything yet?" asked Jim.
"Yeah. Your synapse is firing at an odd rate. It might be what is causing the headaches," said Jesse.
"What?" said Jim.
"Your implant. You never did say what Echkart used it for," said Kristen.
"Well, it's a non-issue. It was a data jack. The Dominion deactivated a long time ago," said Jim, as he sat up. Brennan walked into the lab. "Maybe it was all a bad dream and a nose bleed."
"Doubt it. I checked the helix's log. It looks like you took it out for a spin," said Brennan.
"It just doesn't make any sense. Where did I go?" said Jim, confused.
"I can retrace the flight path," said Brennan.
"But you can't go back," said Kristen.
"There's not a chance if your nightmare was real," said Jesse.
"Don't worry. Shal and I will go and check out the reckons," said Brennan.
"Yeah. Now, look who's dreaming," said Jim, as he walked out of the lab. Brennan just followed Jim. Jesse and Kristen checked out the rest of the scan. As Shalimar, Brennan and Jim were on the helix, Brennan thought of asking Shalimar about the situation.
"Hey, Shal. You buying this whole amnesia crap?" asked Brennan.
"You think he's lying?" asked Shalimar.
"Who, Complex Jim?" said Brennan, as his ears twitched. "Come on. When did he ever tell us the whole story? I'm just saying, if it was me and I woke up, covered in someone else's blood, I would probably remember what happen."
"Maybe he doesn't want to remember," said Shalimar.
"Maybe he's just hiding something more," said Brennan. Jim just looked at them and thought of what they were saying. Back at Sanctuary, Jesse and Kristen were looking at some of the scans. As they landed the helix and put it in stealth mode, they walked into Maxton. They saw the wall melted and people on the floor, dead.
"If you were going to settle, you missed," said Brennan.
"Looks like you were sending someone a message, Jim," said Shalimar.
"Yeah. Just wish we knew who it was," said Brennan. Shalimar walked to the other corner of the main desk, picked the phone and noticed that the cord was cut off.
"Connection is off. It should give us some time," said Shalimar. She noticed that Jim was looking at something. "What is it, Jim?"
"There's more," said Jim. Back at Sanctuary, Jesse and Kristen were looking at some of the scans and noticed something about the implant. Jesse zoom it in to take a closer look.
"Good news, Jim doesn't have to worry about witnesses," said Shalimar, via-comlink.
"The bad news, they're all dead," said Brennan, as they walked down a hall.
"So far, I count 5," said Shalimar. They walked into one of the offices. Jim looked at the other office. He used his feral eyes
"Make that 6," he said. He stopped at the last body. "The trail ends here."
"You say that you don't remember doing this?" asked Brennan.
"I remember killing him in my dream," said Jim. "He begged but it didn't do that much good." Shalimar went to the body and took off the tag.
"Hey, Jess. See what you can get some info about a Dr. Remit Arnot in the database," said Shalimar, via comlink. He didn't answer. "Jesse?"
"Yeah. A Dr. Remit Arnot," said Jesse, as he typed in the name. He and Kristen looked the screen. "Well, one time head researcher in Genomex"
"He worked on a project called Project 9," said Kristen. Jim just stood there in thought of what they were talking about. "He co-worked with other doctors in the project: Dr. Beatres Lang, Dr. Jackson Howling and Dr. Daniel Gonzales."
"What's project 9?" asked Shalimar.
"I'm working on that. Give me a sec," said Jesse. Jim bends down to check on the arm. He saw a tattooed symbol and knew that it meant.
"Guys, quick. You got to get out of here," said Jim, as he walked pass them. Brennan and Shalimar followed him.
"J, I thought you didn't know what was going on," said Brennan.
"Yeah, but I know who he works for," he said. Just as they turned a corner, 2 guys came down the hall. They started to shoot at them. They hid for they wouldn't get shoot. Brennan electrocuted one of them but missed. "Cover me." Brennan electrocuted one of them and the gun fell out of his hand. Jim came out of his hiding place and used light to blind them. Brennan and Shalimar went into action. After they were done beating the crap out of them, they looked at Jim.
"Pretty well equipped for an alarm tech. Mind telling us what's going?" asked Shalimar.
"They're just reckons. Their back-ups will be here in a few minutes," said Jim, as they were walking down the hall.
"Enough with the krypton, J. What's going on? How do you know this?" asked Brennan.
"It's our protocol. This is a Dominion facility. Arnot was a Dominion Doctor. I just attacked my own people and I still don't know why," said Jim.
"Hey, Jess. You getting all of this?" asked Brennan.
"Yeah. Every word. Guys, we got other problems. Bring Jim straight back. Do not let him stop for anything. Do not let down your guard!" warned Jesse.
Back at Sanctuary (in Jim's room)
"Jim," said the Dominion Counsel Member. Jim was in the corner feeling the implant in his neck.
"You lied to me. You said this thing was neutralized. Someone's activating it again," he said.
"That's not possible," he said.
"Really?" said Jim, angry. "Why don't you tell the 5 men that I butchered in Maxton, including Dr. Arnot."
"You need to come in," said the Dominion Counsel Member
"No," he said.
"I can contain this for now. Once the board knows that someone's using you against us," said the Dominion Counsel Member. Jim pressed a key on the keyboard and the screen went blank. Jim went to the corner again.
"Don't go in," said a voice. Jim looked around and saw a hologram of Adam appear.
"Am I dreaming?" said Jim.
"I was waiting for the right time to tell you I was alive, but under the circumstances, I couldn't wait any longer. Jim, we know what's happening to you. You need to face it," said Adam.
"It's really you, isn't it?" said Jim, as he showed his feral eyes. "Only Adam Kane is arrogant enough to come back after a year with advice instead of apologies." He walked towards him.
"Jim…" said Adam.
"You pick a lousy time to go all "Ghost of Christmas past" on me, Adam. You said you'll handle this, but you failed! Don't expect me to trust you now!" said Jim.
"You're talking with your anger again. It's a mistake," he said.
"Yeah. Also waiting a year to contact us," said Jim, as he walked out of the room. The hologram of Adam disappeared. In the main room, Jesse and Kristen presented them to the project.
"Welcome to project 9," said Jesse.
"What the hell is that thing?" asked Brennan.
"It's a neuron jack. It high jacks Jim's nervous system," said Jesse.
"Great. He's a firecracker on a good day. How the hell are we going to trust him now?" said Brennan.
"So Echkart did this to him?" asked Shalimar.
"He tried to leave earth after what Echkart did to his brother, Jake and the rest of the rangers. That was his punishment," said Jesse, as they looked at the neuron jack.
"We need to get it out of him," said Shalimar.
"I don't think I can," said Jesse.
"Adam worked on the project for years, ran different dozen scenarios and 97 of them he died," said Kristen.
"What do we do?" said Shalimar. Jesse just shrugged his shoulder. Jim walked towards the hanger till he saw Jesse.
"Can't talk, Jess. I'm in a hurry," said Jim, as he passed him.
"We know about project 9," said Jesse. Jim stopped and looked at him. "We don't blame you. None of this is your fault. You didn't know about it."
"Oh. Well, thanks," he said, as he walked again.
"Don't thank me just yet," said Jesse, as he pushed a key and a cage door got in Jim's way. Jim looked at him and ran to the same way he came. Another cage door closed in front of him.
"Don't do this, Jess. Come on," he said.
"I gotta. You're a weapon to someone. I can't let you out till we get their finger of the trigger," said Jesse.
"Yeah," said Jim. Jesse walked away and left Jim thinking. Jim stepped back and used light to get out. But it didn't work. "Jesse!"