Deep in the PCHA base, the air was quiet and dormant. So quiet that you can hear a pin drop, or a rat piss on cotton as some say. This was all interrupted by the wild deep gutteral screams echo throughout the base which awakens all the heroes that slept at the base and step out into the hall. "The hell was that?" said NoDoze angrily while trying to throw on a shirt, accidently slicing it in the process. "My guess would be young James again." said Xander. leaning against a wall next to JMFX's bedroom door. "Well you think we might check on him before you know...whatever has him screaming rips his throat out." said Sassy Baby Gurl standing next to Angel Archer in the hallway. "nice pecs Cody!" said Archer, eyeing NoDoze. Shaking off his blush, NoDoze opened the door to reveal on Midori Matrix laying there looking for JMFX. "hey Mid, where's jay?" said Archer while others looked out the open window for him. "He had that dream again, and once i woke up from his girly screams he was already gone." Everyone sighed, then the new PCHA leader NoDoze said "alright folks, we know the routine." shaking his head, "Back to bed, he'll be back."
Later on that day JM returned completely exhausted. "Hola all" he said as he crashed down on the couch. "Are you okay dude?" said Zelerin, trying to look into his bloodshot brown eyes. "Yeah, yeah...yawn i've just gone a couple days without sleep, that's all" JM explains. "Bullshit!" screamed a worried Midori Matrix "for that past month, you've been up all day and night fighting and working at the bar. When you do get a few winks you wake up screaming and diving out the window for more." JM stared through his glazed eyes "and your point is?" which caused Midori to stomp off in anger before she took his head off. "Trouble in paradise ?" said Ms. Directed "screw you." said JM weakly through a yawn. "Whatever , Midori you ready?" Ms Directed said angrily. "Yeah let's go"Midori said, then glared at James "You want anything?" JM cranes his neck to look past her to the tv.
In the war room next door...
"Man,
Jimmy's acting like a real prick" exclaimed F force 4. "Yeah,
but it all has to do with his habits." said NoDoze, laying some
mission papers. "Something happened back with the Ferret
incident, but now he won't eat or sleep. It's really starting to
effect his powers too." "Yeah, when i went on a hunt with
him yesterday he nearly passed out off of one ice bolt." said
SBG "you think this is about Ferret dying?"NoDoze sat down
looking over the sheets "Yes and No, he's seen a lot of death in
his life but when he was broken free from that hypnotism it shook
something loose in that hippy hair noggin of his." FF4 thought
for a minute "I have an idea to stop all this!" SBG looked
at him "I tried smothering him, he's got some good lungs so it
won't work." FF4 and NoDoze looked at her in shock "No no,
i mean scan his mind and see what's wrong. I'll go talk to Midori
about it...till then, you need some help little girl!"
In
the PCHA infirmary, later that day.
"Okay, why are we here
and why am i strapped up in this damn bed!"JM growled. Midori
comforted him " we're worried about you..." NoDoze
interrupted "and we're getting tired of your damn attitude."
JM looked at Cody "I've always had an attitude!" "Yeah,
but you were just a smartass, now you've become a real pain."NoDoze
shot back. Xander put his hand on JM's shoulder "Okay now this
procedure that Midori, SBG and I will do on you will be a bit
draining so hold on." JM looked at him worriedly "Yeah,
that's reassuring..." but before he could continue, they laid
hands on his head and began to search his mind. They ran into a lot
of James' memories, including his family's mysterious yet brutal
death. Before Midori could look over it, a flash went off. Then
suddenly all three heroes appeared in a blood soaked asylum. Echoes
of a deep menacing voice screamed out "It's your fault!"
"Where the hell are we?" Screamed SBG trying to speak over
the voice. "In the deep recesses of young Xaiver's
mind."explained Xander. "I think we just ran into the dream
that he's been screaming about." Midori pointed in horror.
"There he is!"
JM was strapped up in a straight jacket surrounded by a bunch of demons and ghosts. Midori laid down a freezing blast holding most of the demons. When she did this, most of the demons disappeared but some ghosts remained. As the brother/sister combo battled on with the remaining ghosts, midori worked on bringing back her man. "JM damnit snap out of it!" "I can't...it's all my fault...they died by my hands...i must pay..."said a incoherent JM. Midori cocked back and slapped him with all her might. "James, you have to stop this! We love you, and we can't take this self destruction anymore." JM started to come through but he was still speaking gibberish "Come on James, i saw what happened to you...we can help you! we can take care of this if we work together" Midori said as she looked into his eyes. JM's head cocked into the air as he roared then the room flashed. Midori, Xander, and SBG were knocked back. As all of the room stood up from the blast to look at the unconscious hero, KingofFools spoke up "What the hell was that?" "I guess that's his way off losing a bad dream." explained NoDoze. "Well at least we all can get some sleep finally!" said Archer as the room emptied. Midori walks over to JM and kisses him on the forehead "That's not the only good news, tomorrow we get to take down your family's killer. Until sleep tight frosty." JM said through his snoring "sweet nightmares honey." as he turned over to sleep.
