Administrator Calvert's door swung open and bashed against the antique book shelf. Calvert looked up from behind his laptop computer and met his visitor's angry eyes. Calvert had mixed feelings about the man that folded his arms before him. Objective and focused, he demanded respect and discipline, neither of which had he earned. To think this man was a liaison for the government almost made Calvert laugh out loud right where he sat. This pompous fool had no medical or scientific knowledge to speak of, just a bad temper and a bark worse than his bite. Having said that, Calvert didn't doubt the function of the ceremonial sword he carried with him at all times; he'd only seen it once himself, on security tape, when the man had arrived and was forced to part with it momentarily while it was sterilised. He hadn't been pleased. He was, in fact, about as happy as he looked here after having nearly damaged his book shelf.
Asshole.
"Prince Kyrian. How can I help?" he drawled. He had no time for this bossy bureaucrat.
"Dispense with the pleasantries, Calvert. You know why I'm here," the young man growled.
Ah, yes. Administrator Calvert knew precisely why Prince Kamari Kyrian had arrived, however it was unfortunate that there was little he could say to make him go away.
"Well, I can only assume you're referring to L/XT-0117159. But what aspect, I wonder? I'm sure you'll tell me, your highness."
"He almost escaped because of your incompetency, because you ignored my explicit instructions to keep him under heavy surveillance! If he had gotten away then that means we lose everything! Do you understand? This man is dangerous! You have no idea of what you are dealing with!" shrieked Kyrian, his face turning red.
Calvert calmly closed the lid of his computer. "Just because you were the first one to run into him doesn't mean my security is inept. Where is a broken man like L going to go? You said yourself that he needs to know what happened to him, it's his nature. He wouldn't go far. Not with the promise of his memory back."
"A 'broken man?' Do you even realise what you are dealing with?" Kyrian shook his head. "Forget the comfort and warmth he has had so far, lock him up in secure containment and push his food under the door. That man is capable of killing you all and must be treated with the utmost caution. Once we have what we need he must be neutralised. 'L/XT-0117159' has caused much grievance to myself and my... family. This must be answered for. Besides, he is supposed to be dead already. Most satisfying."
"And you expect me to believe that my government concedes to this?"
Prince Kyrian simply smiled once more, adjusting the broad cuff of his coat.
"I refuse to lock him up. This isn't a zoo. But I will increase the security around his room, I've already put him in a room with an electronic door, there's no need for any more than that but that's as far as I'm willing to go in terms of securing L." Calvert's hard eyes met Kyrian's. "I hope you find that acceptable, your highness."
The prince's lip curled into a smirk. "It will do, Administrator. I will honour your position here - this time. Just recall your place in all of this. What we are doing here goes a lot higher than you might think. Don't forget that."
"How could I?"
Without a word, Kyrian turned and marched out of the room once more, the door slamming shut behind him. Calvert shook his head. Everyone seemed to think that the subject was this murdering psychopath that'd kill them all at the first available opportunity.
Everyone was so quick to overreact.
Calvert gave Kyrian a few moments to get far enough out of earshot, then picked up the phone. He dialled an extension and waited for an answer. "Ah, Doctor Archer. I need to speak with you in my office. Please come right away," he said. A second or two passed while Archer queried the request. "I'll explain as soon as you get here."
He put the phone down and clasped his hands on top of his desk. Yes, he'd explain everything... As soon as he worked out what he wanted to do himself.
* * *
"What's that you have there?"
L looked up from the book and turned the cover for Bennett to see. The doctor nodded.
"The Waves. A good choice. Doctor Archer gave this to you, am I right?" he asked.
The test subject nodded and closed the book. "It pushes the boundaries of what we can accept as narrative fiction," said L.
Bennett simply stared at him.
"Don't get excited, I read that from the back. The title caught my attention, though the content is of little interest to me. I had a feeling it'd be about something else, but don't tell Archer I said that, she says she loves this book."
"Your secret is safe with me," the grey-haired doctor said as he smiled and reached out for the book. L gave it to him. "It's time for the first test. Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
"Good." Bennett placed the book on the bedside table. "Shall we?"
* * *
Were the book shelf a sentient being it would likely have flinched needlessly at the door that suddenly swung towards it, before releasing a sigh of relief when the arc of pain stopped with just inches to spare.
Doctor Archer hurried into the room, a clipboard and pen held tightly in one hand. She looked anxious.
"You wanted to see me, Administrator?" she asked hastily.
Administrator Calvert closed the lid of his computer once again and began nervously twiddling his fingers on the desk. "Have a seat, Jessica."
"Can it wait? We're about to fire up MCU One for the first time, I need to be there!"
The Administrator sighed and picked up the phone, dialled. "Hi James, it's Calvert. Delay the test. Yes, seriously. Thank you," he said before hanging up. "Now there is no problem. Sit."
Archer smiled and placed her documents on the edge of the desk, sitting down in the hard leather chair opposite Calvert. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"I feel there might be. There's more to this than we thought."
"What do you mean?"
"You know we answer directly to the government. Everything we do here is government funded, government authorised."
"Yes, why?"
"I think this might be different. Something about this just doesn't seem right to me. I want your opinion on Kyrian."
"Prince Kyrian? I don't know, he's creepy. It's maybe the fact that he has no place here that makes me wary of him. He has shown no medical knowledge and hasn't given us any explanation for him being here."
"My thoughts exactly," Calvert pondered. He tapped on the lid of his computer with one finger for a few moments. "I think our guest might be in danger. Maybe not right now, but certainly in the near future."
"What? Why? You mean by Kyrian? What can he do, he's just some pushy politician with a fancy coat. Where's he supposed to be prince of anyway?" Archer asked angrily.
"I honestly have no idea. I don't know who he is, his name has never come up in any of my government reference documents before, but his clearance is all here – straight from the top. Whoever he is, he's pretty much authorised to do anything he wants, including killing L."
"This is insane!" exclaimed Archer, brushing loose hair from her face. "We don't even know who this Kyrian guy is!"
"Yes, well, we have to follow his orders for now. But I'm going to need your help if L is to survive this," Calvert muttered. "I have some files on L, a little information about who he is. No name, though he looks familiar to me. I think I've seen him before... on television."
"You had information and you didn't tell us? Come on, Calvert, we're supposed to be on the same team here!"
"I know, but this information was supplied to me on a need-to-know basis only, which means even I don't have the full picture. Kyrian keeps hinting that there's more to L than any of us are aware, like he knows him personally. He said he'd caused his family problems," Calvert sighed. "This is all starting to sound more like a bad mobster movie with every breath. I need to find out what the Hell is going on! But, more importantly, I need..."
"What?"
Shaking his head, Calvert muttered: "I need you to warn L. Carefully! I don't want you to cause panic or to let Kyrian know we're working against him!"
"Of course I'll help, William. You know I've been against this kind of bullshit since I started here, this is my chance to make a difference."
Calvert looked into Archer's eyes and smiled. "I'm very glad to have you here. Now go, I need you to be my eyes and ears. And keep that worm Bennett out of this, I suspect the first thing he'll do if he finds out is run to Kyrian, and that would be troublesome for all of us. Let me know if you hear anything about this, and don't mention this conversation we've had to anyone!"
"I won't," Archer promised, rising from her seat.
"Very good. Off you go, run your tests. I'll call James, tell him to wait for you."
"Thanks!" she said as she headed out. She stopped at the door, halted by Calvert pointedly clearing his throat, and turned around. The Administrator pointed to her clipboard left on the desk. She bumped into the door in her haste to retrieve the documents, knocking it into the book shelf.
Were the book shelf a sentient being, it would have wished for a door-stop.
* * *
Oh, this was all starting to come together nicely, Jack thought. This machine, yes, this machine would be the beginning of it all. But the beginning of what? That was what he wanted to know, it was all very well being aware of the fact that there was a great significance to this machine but it would help tremendously if he had even the slightest inkling as to what that significance was. Sure, he'd get his memory back. That'd be swell, for sure. He certainly looked forward to it. He'd definitely keep his name, though. He liked Jack, he'd known it all his life. All of his life that he could remember, that is! Ha ha! Ah, he cracked himself up sometimes.
Professor Trout was sure in a fettle today. Crossing his arms, uncrossing his arms, pacing, sweating, sighing, moaning, groaning and doing it all over and over again. Impatient! So impatient! Ah, if only he were more like Jack. Jack was the epitome of patience, in fact that might explain why he is now a patient of sorts? Could very well be that he is the best patient there ever was, too. He had certainly been well behaved. All those sharp knives, all those blunt objects. Pointy things. Needles. He probably could've stabbed someone with that plastic knife, but that wouldn't have been too polite, not after they had fed him and everything. What did they call that again? To kill them with the knife they'd given him to eat with, what did they call that? Irony? Hah, Jack liked irony. He wondered if it only applied to killing people.
The thing on the wall made a noise. Telephone. The telephone rang. The other doctor answered it, said some stuff, put it down again. Jack didn't quite hear what was said, though he didn't think the doctor that answered the phone was really a doctor. Professor Trout had called him James. It was just as well Jack hadn't decided to call himself James, since then the pair of them would be confused. James, the doctor that was not a doctor, would probably have thought Professor Trout was talking to him when, in actual fact, he was talking to James who is really Jack! That could have been embarrassing, Jack thought. Good job he didn't like the name James.
Hmm...
Is there anyone else here called Jack?
* * *
"Jack? No, why?" Bennett asked, turning to L, who looked perplexed.
"Sorry, what?" he asked.
Bennett scratched his head. "You just asked if there was anyone else here called Jack. I said there isn't. Not in the whole facility, in fact. Are you alright?"
"I said that? I don't remember, are you sure you're not just hearing things? It's pretty noisy in here," L muttered, confused himself. "Could've been the machine or something."
"No, I'm pretty sure that's what I heard. James? Did you hear that?"
The man named James looked out from behind the machine. "Yeah, yeah, I heard that."
"Ha ha, see? You must be going mad in your old age, L."
"Heh, yeah," L said, still confused. He tried to rub his eyes but couldn't move for the restraints holding him tightly into the Memory Conditioning Unit. He grunted in frustration.
As he looked up, Archer was just walking into the room, a concerned expression on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked. She approached him.
"Nothing. Close your left eye and sit still," she said. L did as he was told. Archer wiped something from his eye for him. "There. Loose eyelash."
"Great, thanks. So... what now?"
"Well, in the simplest terms," she said, reaching for the wires that were connected to L's freshly shaven head, "we're going to stimulate certain areas of your brain with electrical impulses that should highlight your memories so your brain is able to detect them again."
"That's what you call 'simple terms?'" he criticised.
Archer smiled.
"Tell me what parts. Maybe when you fix me I'll understand better than I do now."
Another smile from Archer. "All right. The temporal lobe is associated with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech. That area of your brain will get the brunt of the treatment. At the same time we'll be sending smaller, more accurate impulses to the parietal lobe which controls recognition and perception. We're giving your memories a red rose, so you recognise them when your brain starts looking. Like on a blind date," she laughed.
"Like on a what?"
"A blind date," she explained, smiling again, "it's when two people agree to meet up for a date without having seen each other yet."
"Oh, right. So when do you start electrocuting my brain?" He frowned. "Will it hurt?"
"We'll start as soon as you're ready and, yes, it will probably hurt. We'll administer some painkillers to soften the blow, but remember that we'll be sending electricity directly into your brain."
"Thanks for the warning," L sighed, "I'm ready when you are."
"All right. I'll be here the whole time monitoring your brain activity. If it becomes too much for you, just tell us. Okay?"
"Okay."
Doctor Archer gave L another of her bright, hopeful smiles and began checking the wires attached to L's head. Satisfied they were all secure, she gave L's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before going into a separate room a few yards to the right of where L sat, leaving him all alone. In the room waited Doctor Bennett and James, the machine's technician. Bennett's finger impatiently hovered over the button that would initiate the first stage of the machine.
"Glad you could join us," he said, watching L ready himself through the protective observation window.
Archer frowned at him. "History can wait five minutes, Charles. We're more likely to succeed if he sees this coming."
"Yes, well, Kyrian won't. I liked your little metaphor there about the blind date. Very sweet," mocked the greying man.
"It's called a simile, thanks."
James stifled a laugh. Bennett scowled and pushed a button beside the microphone on the desk.
"Can you hear us, L? You alright in there?"
"Fine," they heard him say.
"We're going to start warming the MCU, don't be alarmed."
He didn't reply. Bennett nodded to James, who opened some switch covers on a console beside the desk and began flipping switches in sequence, left to right, five in total. The MCU began to hum, quietly at first.
The machine L sat in was primarily sheathed in a white plastic-like material that covered all of the interior components of the device, giving the machine a somewhat mysterious look - this huge object with no seams, gaps or holes giving no indication to the beholder as to how it works nor how it was even manufactured. MCU Two was not so aesthetically pleasing, designed for easy modification. This thing that L now sat in was the honed product, the (hopefully) final article.
To either side of L's head there were two parts of the machine almost surrounding his head. He could see straight ahead but his peripheral vision was mainly obscured. The arm rests he was strapped to were part of a throne-like seat which was well padded and adjusted to L's form. The back of the seat was thick and tall, reaching the tall ceiling.
"Still with us, L?" came Bennett's voice on the intercom.
The fact that the doctors hid in a separate room filled L with confidence. "Yeah."
"Good. The MCU will initiate soon, we'll warn you before we begin. Are you ready? Once you are, there's no turning back."
* * *
I'm ready!
Readier than you could imagine, oh yes! Give me knowledge! Return to me the past that is rightfully mine! Ah, not long now and I will return to my former self, til I become what I once was, til I can resume my life as it was. What will I do first? Maybe I'll go fishing...
Such thoughts were rife in Jack's head. He was excited, eager to regain his missing memory. An excitement that was fit to burst...
* * *
The first jolt took L by surprise, causing his head to snap back and bump into the padded head rest; though it only lasted a split second - less, an instant - it had immediately sapped all of his strength, his head rolling to the side. He began to recover, righting himself, when another shock caused him to clench his teeth, to jerk awkwardly in the seat. Then again. And again. Faster, seemingly stronger, the pain immense.
He hadn't expected this.
Nobody could have.
Another shock, causing another full body spasm, forcing movement so powerful that L's right arm restraint was ripped free of the machine's arm.
The next bout of impulses were weaker, but fast, each one causing L to flinch in pain but still a welcome break from the agony he had endured thus far. He gripped the arms of the seat and gritted his teeth, steeling himself for another onslaught of jolts that would twist every muscle and rattle every bone in his body.
But it never came.
The pain was gone, just like that. No aches or throbbing. He felt himself twitching, still flinching from the traumatic treatment that was supposed to make him remember... Did he remember? Remember what? That he was... How old? His real name? No... nothing.
L sighed. Had this been for nothing? At least the pain was gone. He felt as if he were floating on air, as if he were weightless.
He felt himself look to his arm, the restraint had been torn away. L went to rub his eye again but his arm wasn't responding. He simply lifted his hand, spread out his fingers and examined it, front and back.
James stepped into view. He was talking, but L could not hear. Everything was so blurry, so fuzzy and unreal...
* * *
L blinked.
"L! Can you hear me? You alright buddy?" said a man. L blinked a few more times, the vague figure in front of him becoming clearer. "Can you hear me? C'mon L!"
What the young man was looking at slowly came into focus. It was the unshaven face of James, the MCU's technician. L smiled faintly. He could see another two people standing behind James with white coats.
"Can you speak?" asked James.
L nodded and opened his mouth, his voice weak and hoarse. "What's going on?"
"You're in MCU One, you've had your first neuro-stimulation treatment. How do you feel?"
"Pretty good."
"Can you remember your real name yet, L?"
A smirk crossed his face. "I do."
One of the two in the background pushed forward. "What is it, then?" he asked impatiently. It was Professor Trout.
"My name..." he hesitated, as the others watched intently, "is Jack."
James smiled. "Welcome back, Jack!"
Professor Trout did not look as pleased. He backed away, taking the other one, Jessica, by the arm and leading her towards the door.
"Thanks James. Thanks a lot," said Jack, the grin on his face now ear-to-ear. "Unfortunately, it's time for me to leave."
A short laugh came from James as he released Jack's left arm. "You can't leave just yet buddy, we need to do a few tests on you yet, but we've almost got you fixed. Don't you worry! Everything's gonna be--ack!"
Jack launched forward out of the MCU, grabbing James by the throat and pulling him into a rear choke, holding the man between himself and the others.
Professor Trout yelled from the doorway, "Jack! Stop! Don't do this!"
As Trout took a step forward, Jack tugged a pen free from James' shirt and held the nib to his eye. "Not another step! Don't! How far into his brain d'you think I can ram this pen before you get close enough to stop me, Professor? Before it's too late? Pretty far, let me tell you that! Far enough for it not to matter anymore! Not to James here, anyway! It'll kill him, won't it? Won't it?!" Jack screamed, tears streaming down his face.
"It's all right Jack, everything's going to be all right," Trout said slowly, edging back towards the door.
"Shut up! Where's my boat?"
"Your boat?"
"Yes! My fucking boat! Are you deaf? Stupid? The fishing boat I was in before I came here. Did you leave it out there? Out at sea?" Jack shrieked, dragging James with him to the right, circling Professor Trout.
Where had the other one gone? Never mind that, not important now.
"I don't know anything about a boat!" shouted Trout.
Lies! All lies! Unless...
"It must be broken! Sunk! I liked that boat, need another I suppose. You!" he yelled, pointing the pen at Trout. "You'll find me another one!"
"And how do you propose I do that?" was the response.
Jack tilted his head and glared at Trout. "What the fuck do you mean? You'll get me a boat or I'll turn James into the shortest but meatiest kabob you've ever seen!"
At that moment the door to Jack's right opened and Jones stepped in, firing his weapon at Jack. The pins from the taser hit the crazed man in the neck and he hit the ground an instant later, his spasms from the shocks uncontrollable. Jones hurried over and pinned Jack to the ground with his knee on the side of his head while more security guards poured in. Through the commotion of the men moving in to secure Jack, his muffled screaming could be heard again and again, "The other will suffer! The other will suffer!"
* * *
The elevator doors opened. Bennett marched out and carried on along the corridor with Archer in hot pursuit.
"But what happens to him now?" she asked, walking quickly to keep up with Bennett's pace.
"I don't know, he'll probably be detained a little more forcibly now. I told you he was probably a murderer! Didn't I?" the man bellowed. He calmed himself a little before continuing, though it was clear he was still angry. "Why should you care about him, he could've killed James! I'll bet he'd kill us too if he thought it would help get him a boat. Now excuse me, I have to report to Calvert and he is not going to be happy!"
Archer slowed down and stopped. She watched as Bennett continued on his way and disappeared around another corner.
There's no way this could be the end. No way. Just because you remember something, this isn't some switch you can just flick in your head to become a psychotic killer!
That face... that wasn't the same face as the man whose eyes I looked into each and every day and had meaningful, intelligent conversations with. Those eyes were not the same. There was something else in there, I know it! Something else is behind this! I know I'm a neurologist worth my salt, there's something in his head, I know it when I see it... And I'll damn well find out what it is, too!
Jessica Archer would return to her office for now.
And think.
* * *
"Jack? Who the Hell is Jack?" Calvert asked, narrowing his eyes on Bennett, who simply shrugged.
"I don't know. He could be lying, but... I highly doubt it," was Bennett's defeated answer.
Not knowing the answer was the bane of Bennett's life, the reason he became a scientist. To discover. And what had he discovered today? How to turn normal men into raging psychopaths, if the results of this subject were to become regular.
"Looking at his file, I'd strongly agree. What does Doctor Archer think?"
"Oh, she's just raving on about how he's not as dangerous as we think," dismissed Bennett, shaking his head. "Unless she changes her tune I don't think she'll be of much use to us."
Calvert's eyes widened. "You think that she's emotionally attached to the subject?"
"I wouldn't like to say," said Bennett, smirking, "to what extent, exactly. But I'd say she is, yes."
The Administrator said nothing, simply drummed his fingers on the surface of his desk; Bennett watched impatiently as the older man tapped a tune, eager to return to the labs. Calvert looked at him and sighed. "Keep an eye on her," he said. "Keep me informed about her conduct, I'll contact the psychologist. Sounds to me like there's more t this than meets the eye."
"Why?"
"What is there about all this that hasn't been strange? L's behaviour until now has been erratic, there may be a mental condition involved that could have been encouraged by his treatment over the past weeks..." Calvert trailed off and sighed.
"A few times now he's said things out loud and claimed not to have heard, nor even thought them."
"Could be related. You noted this at the time of course?"
"Administrator," said Bennett in a slimy tone, "do you think me to be some sort of novice?"
Calvert smiled. "Of course not, Charles."
The scientist stood up and nodded. "I thought not, old friend. I'll keep you posted," he said, moving towards the door. He left quietly.
Old friend? thought Calvert. What are you up to, you crafty bastard?
