Anamnesis ©
Chapter Fifteen
By Fiction Writer #13
(bg, preteen , sci-fi, paranormal)

"Damn it Justin, just shut up and listen for a minute." James had his cell phone pressed up to his ear as he navigated the congested streets of downtown Highland. "No, I can't give you a ride home today; you'll just have to find another way."

He'd been on the phone ever since crossing the bridge, sometimes texting, but mostly talking to one person after the next.  This was fine for Rob; he'd grown tired of politely answering all of James' idiotic conversation points.

"Look, I just can't do it!  Ask Vincent, I'm sure he'll give you a lift, alright?  Good.  I'll be there tomorrow by eight so be ready.  Yes, I said eight.  Look, don't give me any shit, I wasn't the one who failed Spanish and tried to hide it.  Sorry, my mistake... French."

As James prattled on Rob had his face nearly pressed against the window as he gazed up at all the tall buildings.  Being in a city full of skyscrapers wasn't like the movies; it was like being trapped in a giant maze of steel and concrete.  He felt squeezed in, claustrophobic, and the heavy traffic and pedestrian filled sidewalks did nothing to relieve his anxiety.  The only thing that seemed to work was looking up to the tops of the buildings, at least the tops that he could see from his position on the street anyway.

"I'm doing you a favor, trust me.  Your parents wanted to ground you for the whole summer.  By working for me at the high school you've been able to go out as much as you wanted, right?  Okay, see you tomorrow."

James snapped the cell phone shut and honked his horn at a taxi that was moving too slow for his liking.

"Sorry, that was my girlfriend's snot nosed little brother.  The little prick keeps giving me shit about the job I got him for the summer.  I never heard someone bitch so much about cutting grass and painting curbs."

Rob's eyes never left the distant strip of blue skies overhead. "No problem."

"First time in the city?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Don't worry, it's overwhelming at first, but you'll get used to it.  If you think this is bad, don't ever go to New York!  Me on the other hand, I can't get enough of the Big Apple.  The clubs there are the fuckin' bomb!  There are some good places here in Highland, even some underground places that are invite only, but nothin' beats New York's club scene."

"Hmm," Rob answered as he prayed James would get another phone call soon. "Are we almost there?"

"Two more blocks and we'll be at the radio station."

"The radio station?"

"Yeah, sorry... It's just easier to go there first.  The hotel is on the other side of town."

"Wonderful," Rob murmured under his breath.

"13?"

The softly spoken voice barely registered in Jon's ears over the whipping winds, but upon hearing it, all other sounds vanished.

"No... it... it can't be..." Jon shuddered as the hairs on his arms stood on end. "14?  Is... is it really you?  Or is this... this is just part of the dream, isn't it."

The little girl whom he'd witnessed being murdered so long ago stood once more before him, emerging from the wintry maelstrom bathed in a soft white light that illuminated the falling snow.

"No, Jon, it's me."

"That's impossible." Despite his doubts, he couldn't hold back the tears from running down his cheeks.

"You... He... he killed you!"

14 smiled. "Yes, I know."

"So you can't be here." Jon turned to find that his younger self and dead friend were no longer laying in the snow. "This is still the dream.  I'm still asleep."

"Yes you are, but I am really here." She moved closer and took Jon's shaking hand in her own. "It's me, 13."

"But... but how?"

"The world of dreams is not that far removed from the world of the afterlife.  I believe you call it the Ethereal Plain.  They are connected." She pulled his hand to her heart, letting him feel her warmth. "We are connected."

"Is this Ixshebet's doing?  Is he behind this illusion?" Anger suddenly filled him and he pulled his hand free from her grasp before calling out to the storm. "Stop this!  I... I can't do this!  You're fucking with my head!”

"Uhgn!"

The hard blow to his abdomen caused him to double over and stopped him from raging any further.

"Knock off this baby shit right now, 13." 14 gave him a hard stare as she rubbed her reddened knuckles. "You don't have time to be acting up like this.  Step in line soldier."

"Yes, ma'am!" Jon responded to her tone without thinking, reverting back to his childhood when he'd always felt subservient to the others, even to her, though it was mostly out of respect that he called her ma'am.  She'd always had a way of getting him back to where he was supposed to be, keeping him focused on the task at hand rather than the teases and taunts of the others.  She was his rock, his protector, and the closest thing to a mother that he'd ever had, despite the fact that they were the same age.

Jon caught his breath before straightening, and as he did so once more became his younger self.  He barely noticed this change other than being on the same eye level as his friend, but she did.

"That's better, that's how I remember you."

She smiled once again. "Funny, I always thought I was taller than you."

"Why?"

"Well, I guess because you were always so sensitive and..."

"No." Jon shook his head, but smiled. "Why are you here now?"

"Oh!" 14 chuckled, a delightful sound that brought an amused smile to Jon's face.  He'd so rarely heard her laugh during their time together, it was something he'd always strove to make her do. "I'm here to help you.  Just like old times, huh?"

"Yeah.   Old times." The memory of her last dying moments began to rush back into his mind, pulling him down into despair again.

"None of that!" 14 took him by the shoulders and shook him. "Look at me, 13!  I'm here... right here, right now!  Focus on me!"

Jon pushed the dark thoughts away as he looked her straight in the eyes.  An anomaly in the genetic engineering used to create them had given all of the female soldier’s heterochromia, two different colored eyes.  In 14's case, her left eye was brown while her right was green.  Jon found them mesmerizing.

"Are you with me?" she asked and waited for him to nod. "Good.  Like I was saying, I'm here to help you.  You're too hung up on what happened to me.  It's blinding you, causing you to make mistakes.  You want to make 1 pay for what he's done, so do I but that's- not- your- mission!  Do you got me?  You need to find the children, keep them safe.  You can't run off on some vendetta."

"What are you talking about?  Of course I'm going to find those kids.  Why would I go after Donovan now?"

14 stared sternly at Jon. "Listen to me.  Something has happened, something... ah fuck it, you're going to find out on your own anyway, so I might as well just tell you now and get it over with."

"Tell me what?  What's happened?  Are the kids okay?"

"The kids are fine, Jon.  At least for now."

"Then what?"

"It's... It's Malcolm."

"What... what happened to Mal."

"He's... he's gone.  1 took his revenge out on him."

"No." Jon's face paled. "No, not Mal."

"I'm so sorry." 14 pulled Jon into her arms and hugged him tightly. "I know how close you two had become."

"He... he was..." Jon started to shake, too full of pain and loss to speak.

"He was a great man," 14 squeezed him tighter, trying to hold his tremors back from shaking him to the ground, "and he saw greatness in you as well.  That's why he trusted you above all others.  It's up to you now, you have to keep his dream alive."

"Wait!" Jon broke free of her hug, his eyes wild. "If he's dead, then he can come here!  I can speak with him, just like I'm doing with you!"

"No, it doesn't work like that." 14 tried to speak calmly to him. "He gave his life freely, to protect his granddaughter.  He's already one with the Ether.  Mine was taken, taken without a choice, that's why I've been given this chance, this one opportunity to speak with you before I must go too."

Jon stared at her for a long moment, not wanting to believe what she said, but knowing that she wouldn't lie to him.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch," Jon sobbed.

"No, you're not."

"Yes I am.  I'm going to fucking kill him."

"Haven't you listened to a word I've said?"

"I don't care, 14.  First you, now the Doc's gone.  He's taken too much from me.  He needs to be put down.  They all need to be put down."

"There you go again, grouping them all together.  What about me, 13?  If I were still alive, would you have to put me down as well?"

"No!  No of course not.  You're not..."

"Not what?  Not a Super Soldier?  Not one of them?"

"Yes.  No.  I mean... you're not like them... you... you're like me.  Different."

"13, we all came from the same lab.  You, me, 1... all of us.  The only difference between you and them is that you figured out early on that you didn't want to join 1's crusade against humanity.  Hell, I didn't have the courage to admit it myself until you told me you were running away that day.  What makes you think that we were the only ones?  A long time has passed since that day; don't you think it's possible that some of them may have smartened up too?"

"So, what?   I'm just supposed to forgive them?  They held us, they let it happen... and when they had the opportunity to take responsibility, they blamed me for your death.  No 14, fuck them... fuck all of them.  They deserve what's coming when I find them."

"Listen to yourself.  Do you know who you sound like right now?"

"Don't say it, don't even fucking say it, 14."

"You sound like him, you sound exactly like 1."

"God damn it!  What, did you come back to here to piss me off?  It's working."

"Well you do sound like him, and certainly not like the boy I knew.  That boy was different from you, at least in one very special way."

"How's that?"

"He could forgive."

"Oh yeah," Jon scoffed, "that did a lot of good.  It just made me appear weak in their eyes."

"You forgave me." 14 lowered her eyes to the ground. "You forgave me for when I acted like them, when I was too scared to speak out, too afraid to set myself apart from the pack.  To me your forgiveness wasn't a weakness at all... it was... your strength."

When 14 raised her eyes from the ground to look into Jon's, they glittered with tears ready to fall.

"It was what made me fall in love with you."

"You..." Jon's voice got caught in his throat. "You, you were in love with me?"

"Duh!" she smiled as a tear trickled over her soft cheek. "Why else would I risk running away with you, you idiot!"

"I just, I mean... I knew I... but you?  You loved me?"

"I still do, dummy." She rolled her eyes. "Why do you think I came here?  I could have crossed over, but I chose to stay... just so I could finally tell you how I felt."

"I... I love you too."

"About time you said it, you big jerk."

14 pulled him into her arms once again, this time bringing her lips to his in a passionate kiss that took him by surprise.

"Promise me, 13; promise me that you won't go after 1.  Not yet, not while Rob and Sarah are still in harm's way.  Let it go, even if you get the chance, just... just let it go."

Jon didn't want to, but he couldn't tell her no. "I promise."

"And the others, give them a chance.  I'm not saying that you should trust them or be friends with them, just that you should give them the benefit of doubt.  People can change, and so can super soldiers."

"Okay." Jon held her tightly. "Only because you asked me to.  But if it turns out they are still the fucked up son's of bitches that I remember..."

"Then do what needs to be done."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And stop calling me ma'am."

"I'll stop calling you ma'am if you stop calling me 13."

"Oh, that's right, you all went and got proper names for yourselves after that night.  Yours is Jonathan, right?"

"Mmm hmm," Jon breathed into her ear. "You got one too, by the way."

"Oh yeah?" 14 nibbled his ear lobe. "Tell me, what name did they assign the dead girl?"

"Emily."

"Emily?  That's so... plain."

"I think it's a beautiful name."

"You would.  You've always been drawn to anything... normal."

"Not always."

"No?"

"I'm drawn to you... and you're..."

"I'm what?"

"You're extraordinary."

14 giggled. "You're cheesy."

"Just kiss me, Emily."

She continued to giggle even after his lips pressed against her own, but his passion soon overtook her amusement.  Together they wrestled for dominance of the kiss, neither willing to let it end as they shed clothing like molting feathers.  The falling snow seemed to pulse in time with their beating hearts, heavy... soft... heavy... soft, as they drew each other slowly down towards the frozen ground.

The world around them began to brighten as they descended.  The light which Emily carried into the darkness spread out and began to erase the scenery of any signs of its former horrors.  The cold night gave way to brilliant sunshine and blue skies.  The snow melted and drained away into the rocky but fertile soil of the mountains.  In the span of a single breath, life returned in a vibrant green explosion of plants.  A warm breeze blew through the clearing, carrying with it earthy aromas of early spring as the first flowers of the season blossomed.  Jon and Emily made it to the ground just before a soft blanket of thick moss grew beneath their nude entwined bodies.

The blazing heat of the sun upon Jon's bare back was nothing compared to the heat rising from within Emily.  It infused him with a need he'd never truly felt before, and the human animal inside of him broke free of its chains and took control.  She felt so warm, so soft, so willing... he had to be inside of her, and his hard cock gave him the means to do so.

She felt him, felt him rise and thicken between her legs, and spread herself to allow him entry.

"Yes, Jon.  Yessss !" she hissed in his ear as he drove himself fully into her.

His form may have remained that of a child, but his thoughts and memories were from his true self.  He was not an inexperienced boy of ten inside, but a man, a man who knew how to give as much pleasure as he received, much to Emily's delight.

"Oh God, Emily... you feel so good..."

He took his time after his initial penetration, long slow strokes that caused both of them to gasp in sheer delight.  His hands caressed as his lips kissed and suckled on her neck, her ears, and her underdeveloped breasts.  Her legs wrapped around his hips, pulling him deeper and harder into her overflowing sex with every thrust.

"Do it harder!" she pleaded as her nails scratched maniacally over his back and shoulders. "I need more, uhnn, more of you in me!"

He didn't comply with her orders, not at first anyway.  He teased her by shortening his strokes, resisting her demanding thighs which gripped him by his waist and tried to force him to move as she wanted him too.

"JON!" She slapped his bare back repeatedly with her hands trying to get his attention. "JON, PLEASE!"

He continued his torturously slow movements within her. "Tell me again that you love me."

"I love you.  Oh, God... I love you Jon... now fuck me, please!"

"Say it again."

"I LOVE YOU!"

"How much do you love me?"

"Damn it Jon!" She beat at his back with her fists as she tried in vain to hunch her hips upward to get more of him inside. "Just fucking fuck me!"

"How much?"

She growled then whimpered as she continued to gyrate under him. "Please!"

"Tell me."

"With all my heart!   With all my fucking heart!  I'm yours!  All of me!"

"All of you?"

"Yes!  Yes!  Yes, damn it!"

Jon smiled down at her frustrated face which was on the verge of tears. "I'm not totally convinced."

"Just fuck me you prick!"

"Yes... ma'am."

"Oh you son of a..." Her eyes grew wide as he suddenly slammed hard into her over and over again. "Oohh... ohhh, yeah!  Do it!  Like that!  Oh!  Oh fuck, that's good!  Fuck me!"

Jon jackhammered into her.  His muscles strained and burned, sweat beading then flowing over his taut skin in tiny rivers.  He knew he wouldn't be able to last forever at this pace, but he'd make sure to last long enough to see her reach her peak and it didn't take long for her to make it there.

She thrashed her head from side to side as her whole body trembled beneath him. "Oh shit!  Oh shit!  I'm... I'm... I'm going to... to... oh shit!"

Her face flushed bright red as her eyes went vacant and began to roll back in her head.  Her back arched off the ground as her legs suddenly kicked wildly at the empty air.  Jon could feel her clamp down on his prick, squeezing and releasing over and over again almost painfully, but at the same time wildly pleasurable.  With a great roar that left his lungs burning he felt himself erupt within her, his cum filling her so full that her pussy made squelching sounds as he continued his pounding, until his muscles couldn't hold him up anymore.  He collapsed on top of her as she continued to shake and shuddered through her orgasm.

For a long time Jon remained on top of her, both of them breathing hard as a warm breeze caressed their still sensitive sweat drenched flesh.  Emily, still with her eyes closed in post orgasmic bliss, lazily pushed Jon off and smiled as his softened prick slipped from her clenching pussy.

"Wow," she whispered more to herself than for Jon's benefit.

"I know," Jon smiled as he gently caressed her face. "A bit more fun than the seduction classes let on, hmm?"

"I'll say." Emily opened her eyes and rolled onto her side. "To think that I wasted all that time practicing on the base's maintenance staff, when I should have just come to you."

Jon rolled onto his side and searched her eyes for any signs that she was kidding with him. "So... I wasn't your first then?"

"Um, no." An amused expression contorted her face. "You didn't think that I was still..."

"No!  No." Jon tried to lie, but some of his disappointment clearly shone through his facade. "Of course not."

"You did, didn't you?"

"Okay, so maybe I did.  I mean, you were only ten when..."

"I know, but, Jesus Jon.  One of the first things they taught us was how invaluable a tool our bodies were and how to use them to achieve our goals." Emily chuckled. "At least that's what they taught the girls anyway.  Who knows what they taught you guys about your things."

A silence fell over them as they lay in the soft grass until Emily chuckled once again.

"I wasn't your first was I?"

"What?  No!" Now it was Jon's turn to laugh. "No, no, no, no.  Definitely not my first time."

"Well, that's good to hear.  For a moment I thought I'd just popped your cherry."

"No, that time came and went a long time ago."

"So I wasn't your first... just make sure that I'm not your last."

"What are you talking about now?"

"Well, look around, Jon.  This isn't going to last forever.  You have to run off and do your part to save the world, and I, well, I have to go... go to that place that has been calling me ever since I arrived here, wherever that may be.  I don't want you pining the rest of your days away over me.  The world needs love, Jon, now more than ever.  Don't wait for me."

Her serious words were enough to knock Jon right out of his post orgasmic haze.  The lost little boy inside of him crawled back to the deepest parts of his mind, leaving behind the man that he'd become in his place.  Once again adult size, he overshot the little girl by a full two feet and had to slide himself down just to gaze into her eyes as he had been.

"How much time do we have left?"

"Not much, but enough to remind you about the promises you made to me."

"I got it, I won't seek revenge when I should be keeping Rob and Sarah safe, don't worry."

"And the other soldiers from our team... you'll give them a second chance."

"I will.  But only because you asked me to do it."

"I mean it Jon.  This thing is bigger than you or me, so don't fuck it up, okay?"

"You have my word."

"Then you have my heart," Emily smiled, "forever, and always."

Her lips felt as soft as rose petals as she pressed them to his one last time.

"I love you, 14."

"I love you too, 13."

The sun peeked out from behind a passing cloud and filled the clearing with golden light, light that was far brighter than normal sunshine should have been.  It made Jon feel as if he were being warmed from the inside out, and though his eyes were closed to its harsh illumination, his mind's eye conjured a vision of his beloved sister as she slowly rose up and away from him, drifting into the heart of the light.  All too soon the light began to fade and with it went the smiling face of the little girl he'd lost so long ago.

"Good bye... Emily."

A chorus filled the air around him, soft at first but rising in volume and intensity.  For a moment Jon believed the noise to be the song of angels, but as the light and mountainside gave way to complete darkness, the sounds became less and less beautiful and more and more... familiar.

Ka-ree!  Ka-ree!  Ka-ree!

"Jon!  Jon, wake up!"

The voice called to him from somewhere outside of the all-encompassing blackness; somewhere outside of the warmth and comfort that he felt within.

"Seal up the ship, the guests have escaped!  I need some medical help in the interrogation room, pronto!"

Ka-ree!  Ka-ree!  Ka-ree!

With a powerful rush of speed Jon felt his consciousness forcefully dragged back into his body, slammed actually.  It physically hurt as he went from weightless drifting to hard reality.

"Awe... my fuckin' head," he groaned as his hand moved to his forehead where it had struck the steel table hard enough to draw blood.

"Holy shit!" Stewart stood by him, the coffee he'd brought spilled on the floor by the door. "Sir, are you okay?"

"I'll be better when you shut that god damned alarm off."

"But the guests?"

Jon looked around the room and found that only the two of them remained in the room.  Debra and Brian were gone.

"Don't worry about them.  Now shut off that fucking noise."

"Yes Sir."

The flustered soldier dutifully punched in the security code to shut off the blaring alarms. "What should I tell the rest of the team?"

"Tell them to ignore your last order, that it was a false alarm.  Everything's fine." Jon looked longingly at the spilled coffee. "That would have been really good right now."

After relaying the stand down order, Stewart took a seat across the table from Jon. "You mind telling me how two civilians managed to knock you out and escape from a secured room?  Or better yet, why we're not doing anything about it?"

Jon laughed. "They were never here!"

"Don't give me that crap, Jon.  I know that they were here.  Christ, I was with them for the past three days.  I leave for five minutes and they're gone?"

"I'm telling you... the two people you've been shadowing... were never there." Jon pulled a data pad left on the table over and began to type on it.  When he finished he grinned and slid it over to Stewart. "They were a dream made real, real enough to convince all of us, including themselves, but they weren't real.  Take a look."

Stewart read the readout displayed before him twice before shaking his head. "But we checked this?  We checked their most recent medical histories and none of this was there before."

"All part of the illusion."

"Coma's?   Both of them?"

"According to that," Jon tapped the table near the data pad, "they mysteriously fell into a coma and have been in the hospital since the day the dust storm first hit.  Debra never left Columbus, Ohio, and Brian is in a hospital in Sydney after being evacuated out of Alice Springs.  Two wandering souls, lost in a sea of dreams, who found each other and fell in love."

Before Stewart had a chance to ask more questions, the door slid open and revealed a panicked looking Willis.

"Everything's fine here, Willis," Jon grumbled. "Get back to sweeping the mainframe."

Willis shook his head. "It's the kid, Jon.  I think he's lost his fucking mind!"

"Shit, what now?" Jon stood and followed Willis as he led the way back to the computer system with Stewart close behind.

"He's gone nuts!  He kept shouting that he found it and he wasn't going to lose it again.  Whatever it is, it's got him all riled up.  At first he just zoned out, typed on the keyboard so fast I couldn't follow what he was doing, then he said that it was moving too fast for him to keep up.  He said that it was running from him, hiding.  That's when he did it."

"Did what?" Jon asked, but he already had a good idea of what came next, and it wasn't good.

"He plugged in.  The stupid little shit actually plugged himself in before we could stop him!"

"What's he talking about?" Stewart called from the rear.

"DNUI," Jon answered without looking back. "Digital Neural User Interface.  It's a new bit of tech that's way too advanced for anyone to use just yet.  It's still in the testing stage.  I don't even know why it would be on this ship to begin with."

Willis opened a hatch and allowed Jon to take the lead. "What I don't know is how the Newb even knew what it was.  They're supposed to be a big secret."

"That's my fault." Jon picked up his pace through the winding corridor. "Back when I first brought Jimmy into our little club, I told him all about it.  It seemed like the kind of thing the kid would really get into, get him excited about the benefits of being on the Project Phoenix team, guess I was right." Jon paused in front of a com-system and pressed the call all button. "Qian and Ellis report to the computer mainframe ASAP."

Stewart hurried to keep up as Jon and Willis slipped through the doorway. "So what's it do?"

"Did you see the Matrix?" Jon didn't wait for an answer. "Well, you know the part when they get plugged into the computer system?  The thing that gets jammed into the back of their heads?  That's what this thing does; only it's not as cool as in the film, no alternate universe or anything like that.  It allows direct access to the computer code, no typing, just thought.  It's supposed to be the next giant leap forward in computing, but there is one big drawback... it tends to kill one out of three users, completely fries their brain.  The science nerds are calling it IOS, information overload syndrome.  Personally I think they read too much cyberpunk and not enough medical books.  If I plugged my brain into an electrical socket they wouldn't call it IOS, they'd call it electrocution, which is exactly what will happen to Jimmy if we don't get him out of the system before his intrusion is detected."

"Hey kid, you must be some kind of good luck charm." James slammed his door shut and jiggled the handle to make sure he'd locked it.

Stepping out of the car's cold atmosphere into the oppressive heat of downtown made Rob almost wish he and James stayed inside and talked some more, but those thoughts quickly faded as James opened his mouth yet again.

"How's that?"

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find parking around here?  Christ, usually takes at least four or five trips around the block before I give up and pay to park in a garage."

The spot James was so happy about was right in front of the Pac-Life building, home of ninety-three point one WAZZ.  After a quick check to make sure they weren't parked in front of a fire hydrant and not violating any of the hundred or so parking rules posted on a dozen signs lining the curb, the pair made their way into the building through a continuously revolving door.

Rob and James may have had luck finding a spot to park right away, but the blue Chevelle did not.  After circling the block a number of times in a desperate search for empty curb space, the driver gave up his tailing and decided to continue on his own mission.

"The kid has my card if he needs me," he said out loud, trying to convince himself that the kid would be okay on his own. "Not really sure if he's the one I'm supposed to find anyway.  Better get back on task, gotta find that damn preacher."

"Did you ever get the feeling that we're not meant to leave Australia?" Richardson grumbled as he met up with Jonathan on the way to the computer core.

Jon couldn't help but chuckle. "I think your right.  How's the ship?"

"Still in one piece, just don't expect me to jump into the pilot's seat again anytime soon.  So, what's the kid done now?"

"Something stupid, reckless, and unexpected." Jon shook his head as he opened another hatch for the group to pass through.

"So he's acting like one of us then?" Richardson grinned. "About time."

The final door opened revealing a much calmer scene than anyone was expecting.  Most of the team had already gathered in the room and stood speechlessly around Jimmy who sat stock still in a steel chair in front of a computer monitor.  Aside from the fiber optic cable attached to the base of his skull connecting him to the computer, he appeared perfectly normal, relaxed even.  His eyes roved back and forth as if in REM sleep, though his lids were wide open, and it was obvious that something was going on out of the ordinary, but he seemed fine.

"Is he responsive?"

Jon asked no one in particular, but Ellis quickly moved in and began to administer tests with his med-kit.

"He seems to be okay.  Heart rate is high but still within safe levels, respiratory is fine... brain activity is all over the place though."

"I'm fine."

It took everyone a moment to realize the voice they heard was Jimmy's, but it did not come from his lips.

"I've nearly got it." His words emanated from the ship's inter-com. "Slippery son of a bitch, I've never seen anything like it."

"Like what, Jimmy?" Jon looked around the room as he spoke, not sure of who or what to address. "What are you up to?"

"You know that thing that I saw that screwed up my entire fucking life?  That thing that you and everyone one else wanted to rip out of my head?  Well... I found it again... it's here... it's... it's everywhere."

Ellis turned to Jon. "What's he talking about?"

"It's a virus, but like nothing I've ever dealt with before.  It's almost as if... as if it's alive!  It's amazing.  I can see it, but then it's gone... it's so fast.  It's in everything, not just this ship, but... my God it's so... perfect!"

"We're not still networked, are we?" Jon asked Willis in a panic.

"No!  The first thing we did was separate ourselves from the..."

"It doesn't need a direct connection.  It makes it's own.  It's talking... always talking... sending information out... receiving new instructions.  Everything... it sees everything!"

Jon moved to the monitor and scanned the lines of code as they flashed on the screen so fast his eyes couldn't even pick out characters. "Kill it Jimmy, just fucking kill it!"

"It's not that simple.  Only a part of it is here, the rest is... well... it's all over the place.  Everywhere at once... and it's smart... so damn smart.  Every time I get close enough to catch a glimpse it runs."

"Can you isolate it?  Trap it somewhere?"

"Maybe, but... I can't do it alone."

Jon looked around the room. "Where the fuck is Qian?"

"I'm right here!" Qian entered the room dripping wet and wrapped only in a towel. "Don't get you panties in a bunch.  Can't even take a shower without someone needing something.  Now what's so important that..."

Her sentence stopped dead as she got her first glimpse of Jimmy hooked up to the DNUI. "Holy... are you fucking kidding me?  What dumb ass hooked him up to that thing?"

Willis moved out of her way so that she could get a better look.

"He did it himself."

"No fucking way!" She smiled almost excitedly as she inspected where the cable plugged into the back of Jimmy's head. "Did anyone know that he'd been upgraded?"

"No." Jon bristled at the idea of having a hole drilled through his skull, a port node installed, and a processor wired directly into his brain.  Qian apparently felt very differently about such a procedure, and Jon had to pull her away before she poked her finger around the connection. "He must have gotten it when they were still looking for ways to download his memories without the MERI."

"That's some serious tech, Jon," Qian beamed. "I'm impressed."

"Be impressed later, right now I need you to focus." Jon pointed to the flashing monitor. "Jimmy found a virus in our system that he can't kill, but he might be able to trap it."

"I need you to set a trap for me, Qian."

"Whoa!" Qian's smile grew even bigger as she spun on her heels to survey the room. "Did... did he just say that through the internal security system?  How'd you do that?"

"Not now, Qian." Jon shook his head. "You can ask him all about it once he's disconnected, but for now just do as he asks."

"Sure thing, boss.   What can I do for you, Cyber Newbie?"

"I need you to set up a blank memory cube on station 1134.  The cube needs to be set to block all outgoing, but receive all incoming.  Disconnect all other devices associated with station 1134 and be ready to shut power off to that unit as soon as the virus is inside the cube.  Slice the cord if you need to."

"No problem, I thought you might have something difficult for me to do." Qian's expression turned from joyful exuberance to deadly serious. "Richardson."

"Yeah."

Qian pointed to an unused station. "Use those big muscles of yours and yank that station away from its housing.  Oh, unbolt it first; don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I'm on it." Richardson grabbed a laser scalpel from Ellis' med-kit. "Mind if I borrow this?"

"Willis." Qian barked another order. "Go to the research room and find an empty data cube.  Make sure it's a D32, not a D35.  Those are complete crap."

"Yes ma'am."

Willis ran off faster than Jon had ever seen him move, causing Jon to think that maybe he should put Qian in charge more often.

"Pritchard, stop trying to will my towel to fall off and go find my data pad.  I think I left it on my bunk."

Pritchard pulled his data pad from his hip. "Why not just use mine?"

"For the same reason you don't like driving other people's cars.  Mine's better."

"Why can't Ellis go?"

"Get it!  Now!"

"Fine." Pritchard started to run off but called back, "If that towel falls off and I'm not here to see it, I'm going to blame you Ellis."

"What the fuck did I do?" Ellis started to chuckle, but stopped when he caught Qian's gaze. "What do you need me to do?"

"Keep a close eye on Jimmy.  The system is going to figure out that he shouldn't be there, and it's going to try to delete him, just like it would any other kind of virus.  It's going to get rough for him."

"Why not just shut the anti-virus protocols off until he's done?"

"No can do," Jon answered for Qian. "We try to do that and the system will believe it's under attack.  It will shut down everything, including Jimmy."

"Ouch!" Ellis stared hard at Jon's forehead. "You want me to clean that up and give you a stitch real quick?"

"What?" Jon put his hand to his forehead and wiped away some blood. "Oh, yeah.  Forgot about that.  Nah, I'm good.  Concentrate on Jimmy."

Ellis nodded before kneeling down next to the kid and unbuttoned his shirt. "I'm going to wire him up so that I can monitor his vitals.  Any problem with that Qian?"

"Uh," she scratched at her scalp through her short hair, "as long as you don't have to touch it once you're set up.  If he gets zapped, you won't want to be anywhere near him."

"Got it."

Willis returned holding a clear plastic cube filled with a green jelly-like substance.  It was around the same size as a softball; on one of the sides was a black disk about the size of a dime.  It was through this tiny membrane that information was transferred into or out of the cube. "D32, just like you asked."

"Good work, you get a gold star.  Hand it over." After taking the cube she dug around in Ellis' med-kit until she found a probe. "Perfect.  You don't mind, do you?"

"Sure, why not?" Ellis shook his head. "Why would the only doctor on board need his equipment?"

"Oh, don't be a little bitch about it.  I needed something sterile to do this." Qian gently pushed the probe through the membrane until it touched the opposite side of the cube, and then began breaking several nearly microscopic bubbles. "There, it's reprogrammed.  You got that free from the wall yet, muscles?"

The roar of heavy steel echoed in the room as Richardson pulled the massive piece of equipment to the side. "All yours, baby cakes."

"Now I just need my..."

"Here you go." Pritchard tossed the data pad over to her with a big grin. "Did I miss anything?"

"Her towel stayed on the whole time you were gone," Russo whispered.

Qian typed furiously away on her pad but still overheard him. "You're never going to see my goodies, so stop trying.  And don't ever think about sneaking a peek when I'm in the shower.  You can ask Boulanger why that's not a good idea."

Russo and Pritchard turned for an answer from Boulanger, but he remained mute on the subject.  He did however blanch white and unconsciously cover his privates.

"Hey, Qian," Pritchard stared at her while she continued working, "I didn't know you wore contacts."

"I don't."

Her answer came quick, but Jon could see her physically tense up.

"Then something's really wrong with your left eye." Pritchard moved closer to her. "Hey Doc, maybe you should take a look at this."

"It's nothing." Qian turned away and lowered her head so no one else could see what Pritchard had noticed.

"Come on, Qian, let Ellis take a look."

"Piss off, Pritchard." Qian moved over to the console that Richardson had pulled free. "I have work to do."

Pritchard wouldn't let it go; he followed her and tried to turn her around.

"I said..." Qian chopped him hard in the windpipe causing him to choke, "fuck off!"

"Back off, Pritchard," Jon ordered, "you heard the lady."

Pritchard sputtered and coughed, but he managed to speak. "But... she's got two... different colored eyes... one's brown, the other's amber.  Strangest... fuckin'... thing I... ever saw."

Pritchard's words sent Jon's world spinning.  The whole room seemed to come caving in on him as his vision dwindled to a pinpoint before slowly returning to normal.

'No,' he tried to reassure himself, 'not in a million years.  It's not possible.  I would have known.  I would have figured it out.'

But as he regained his balance and pulled his thundering thoughts together, he could see that Qian was trembling, shaking so hard that the data pad she held nearly fell from her grasp.

"Qian?" He slowly stepped closer to her.  Her back was still turned to him as he stood behind her.  Anger welled up inside of him when she didn't face him. "Qian, turn around."

She put the data pad down and slowly turned, her head still lowered to the floor as her shoulders shook.

"Look at me," Jon growled low in his throat. "Look at me now."

"I... I wanted to..." She was sobbing, but still didn't look up. "Stupid... so fucking stupid.  I was in such a hurry to get here... I forgot to put it back in..."  

"LOOK AT ME!"

Slowly she raised her tear streaked and panic ridden face.  Jon's jaw dropped and his blood ran ice cold. 

"You have Heterochromia," he whispered in shock. "You... you're not... you can't be... 10?"

"I'm sorry." Qian broke down and crumbled to her knees. "I'm so sorry, 13."