"Where…" He was no longer in his bed. But he was still someplace familiar from a time he couldn't place. Somewhere hidden in the dark recesses of his mind.

He woke up lying flat on his stomach, the right side of his face pressed against the cold metal floor. Using his hands, he pressed his weight against the floor. Transferring it to his knees as his hand reached out to a wall for support. Leaning on the wall until he was able to stand on shaky legs.

He lost his balance as the room began to shake, crashing against the wall. The dark illuminated by intermittent flashes of blue and green. Alarms echoed in his ears alongside a monotonous voice.

Self-destruct will begin in four hundred seconds and counting.

"What the hell?" Jim looked around see a door on the other side of the room. His hands moved over it, searching for a knob or something that would let him out. But apart from definition lines bordering it, the door seemed to be sealed.

Three hundred and seventy seconds.

A rumble resounded as the room rocked, again. Jim tried to steady himself, but ending up landing against the door. Wincing as his body hit the hard surface.

He could figure he was on a ship, though on which one he wasn't sure.

Three hundred and forty seconds.

Jim began banging on the door.

"Damn it….Somebody let me out!" Jim frantically beat on the door. His fist aching and reddened from the force he was using.

"Gene?!" His voice was strained as he tried to raise it above the alarms still going off. He knew it probably wouldn't do anything, but he still thought to try. "Gene…Aisha?!"

Three hundred seconds.

"Please…" He sagged against the door, breathing heavily as his hand rested on it. "Please…" He choked out a sob, tears threatening to fall until the door suddenly disappeared.

He started to flail his arms when he realised he was falling. A groan escaped from his throat as he used his hands to catch his fall. The impact spraining his wrists. He quickly got to his feet, almost slipping as he looked around the corridor. Two ways to go.

"James"

His head jerked when he heard the name. Wasting no time, he took a left, heading towards the voice. The lights still blaring and the alarm hurting his ears.

He could only hope the voice would lead him somewhere safe.

"Do you think he'll like it?" Gene asked as he blew air into another balloon.

"Well, he should." Aisha pushed the small, square table to the wall, the noise of the wood against the medal floor hurting her sensitive ears. She adjusted the collar of her shirt, turning to Gene as she put her hands on her hips. "I spent all morning trying to put this place together."

Gene looked around the room. Not that he noticed much of a difference. "It looks the same to me." They didn't put up any decorations. They decided to keep it simple because Jim was never one for the big parties. With the exception on balloons and a cake.

Gene wouldn't let those go.

"Why…" Aisha's eye began to twitch at his careless response. She had to figure out how to make the most space within such a small room. It was a storage area, after all. "Why you-"

"As long as we don't draw too much attention to him, it should be fine." Suzuka spoke from a corner in the room. Arms crossed as she sat in a chair. "We can't do much this time because we're leaving, tonight."

"I think I would know when my own ship is leaving, Suzuka." Gene pointed a green balloon at her. A piece of silver ribbon hanging from its twisted ends. "Are you doing anything?"

Suzuka closed her eyes, replying in a casual manner. "I already cleaned." As if the task barred her from helping.

Gene groaned at the response, setting the full balloon on the small table and grabbing a limp from behind him.

"Don't you think it's weird that Jim has woken up, yet?" Melfina asked as she walked in to the room, a tray in her hand.

"Oh…" Aisha's eyes widened as she saw the cake Melfina made. Two white layers decorated with a dark blue border and happy birthday written in a deep red. Her arm extended as her finger reached to touch the cake. "Can I-"

The balloon Gene was blowing popped as Melfina took a surprised step back. Both giving their attention to Aisha, who was nursing her hand. Mourning the loss of hair as she backed away from the small dagger now sticking out of the wall.

Aisha turned to Suzuka, the beginnings of a high pitched wail in her voice. "What'd you do that for?"

"Suzuka!" Gene shouted to her, now noticing the weapon erect in the wall.

Suzuka simply shrugged her shoulders. "She was going to ruin the cake."

Jim could feel his heart beating against his chest. His breath coming out in pants as he tried to ignore the detonation countdown. His mind still trying to wrap around the familiar voice.

He had to find it.

"I don't want to go."

Jim almost tripped over himself when he heard a new voice. Something younger and not quite developed. Something more raw. He used the wall to push himself to move faster. His shoes hitting the floor in a frantic rhythm. As erratic as his thoughts.

One hundred seconds.

He moved faster when the two voices began to get louder. The sounds meshing together as he got closer. He could see another light, intermixed with the already present blue and green. A red at the end of the corridor. He was almost there.

Just a few more steps. He could hear the voices more clearly.

"James."

Jim skidding to halt at the scene before him. Holding his breath in fear that he would be heard. Disregarding that fact that he'd already made too much noise. And that the two figures weren't phased by his presence.

Sixty seconds.

"I can no longer have your father haunting my conscience."

"You can't make me-"

"You have to!"

It was something Jim had seen so many times before. In his thoughts, in his memories, and even his dreams. But he could never place it. Not until now.

He began to walk toward the voices. A cloaked figure pushing a smaller body into what looked like an escape pod. The smaller body resisting, hands feebly gripping the walls until an invisible force pushed him in. The blast making Jim cover his eyes as he tried to balance himself, planting his feet to the ground.

Twenty seconds.

Removing his arm from his eyes, Jim made his way to the chamber where the smaller figure was now held. Hoping to get in the pod as the cloaked figure was leaving. Before the pod broke off.

Ten seconds.

He ran to the door, hands ready to open it even if he didn't know how. He felt a chill as he passed by the cloaked person, the fabric of the cloak seeming to grow through Jim's skin. But he ignored the strange feeling as he turned his attention to the person who was trapped within.

Three.

Only to end up backing away, barely able to contain the scream that tried to escape him as he came upon a small boy banging on the door. Messy blond hair falling over eyes wet with tears. Nose red and mucus running down his chin.

Two.

He shook his head in disbelief at what he saw. The image retreating as the pod took off from the ship and Jim continued to back away. The child instilling an unprecedented fear in him as he could almost hear the silenced cries. Already burned in his mind was the boy's painfully familiar face.

One.

It was Jim's.

It's rather short (for me), but as soon as I finish Perhaps, I can devote whatever writing time not for CSI and HP to this.

Anyway, thank you for reading and thank you to Anonymous Void, Dragon Trainer, and NamarieGreenleaf for reviewing.