More fun

"I don't know." Rick's tone was grim. He had no idea what had happened here tonight. He'd seen some strange and amazing things with Jason and Katie since their connection had manifested... Katie and her ability to help Jason, later finding she could use it on others as well. Jason and his struggle with emotions, making him sick, then gaining control. There had been some rough days. Rick remembered when Jason had frequently gone through battles with flashbacks due to the emotional strain - those had been dark days that were scary. But this... this was something completely different. This was not simply a physical reaction to an overload of suppressed emotions. This was a physical reaction plus an emotional outburst - both of which were taken to the extreme, and both of which had nothing to do with suppression. These weren't pent-up emotions that Jason had held in that needed release - that had been the cause for trauma in the past. This had been sudden and violent. "Wyatt?"

Wyatt was still close by, drained and still in a bit of shock. "Yeah?"

"You said we couldn't separate them. Tell me why."

"I already did."

"Tell me again."

"Well... Jason got shot with that dart. When he went down, a few seconds later, he blew out the headlight in the van. Katie took his hand - I guess to absorb the energy so Jason wouldn't hurt himself or anybody else. Then..." Wyatt rubs his forehead, trying to think without reliving the nightmare. "Um, Jason let go or something, and a couple windows in the van went out. I tied their hands together and it didn't happen again."

Rick sighs deeply. "It's obvious that Katie was absorbing everything Jason was putting out. I mean, she does that naturally anyway, it was just intentional this time so Jason didn't blow everything to bits. What I want to know is where on earth that energy came from. We know his normal level comes from emotions, or emotions that he summons as he's now able to control it. But this was totally out of his control, he didn't intentionally summon any of it, and it wasn't from emotions that were dormant."

"How do you know?" Wyatt questions. "I mean, we don't know if he was keeping emotions locked up. How do we know that the shock of our ambush didn't give those emotions a way out?"

Rick shakes his head. "If that were true, it would have been one, maybe two outbursts, then it would have been over."

"But it wasn't like that with his flashbacks."

"Ah, but when Jason was taken down because of that, his physical state was much determined by the flashback itself, not the emotions. The emotions attacked those bad memories because it was a weak spot, but it was a combination of the flashback and negative emotions that made him sick."

"So... maybe he had flashback?"

Rick shakes his head again. "When was the last time Jason blew a window out while having a flashback?"

"But he's stronger now - maybe it's different."

"Did he say anything about Alex? Or the room?"

"No... he couldn't talk as far as I could see."

"Was he in his own world, or did he seem with it, just unable to speak?"

"Yeah, like when his eyes were able to focus, I could tell he kinda knew what was going on."

"Then I don't believe it was a flashback." Rick continues with Misty to bandage up Katie's right hand and Jason's left. "Process of elimination. It just doesn't add up right. Something in that dart caused a sudden and violent emotional overload - so extreme that Jason had no control. My guess is that it was so strong, he couldn't hold them in, and the energy started to break things. While on the inside, the energy started tearing him apart, which is why he got so sick so fast. We've already proven that Jason's extra emotions change molecular structure."

"And Katie?"

Rick purses his lips, looking down at her still form. "If it weren't for her, you'd probably be dead. Taking on all that Jason was emitting... it could only tear her up too. The pain must have been enormous."

Wyatt swallows hard. This whole thing had been more dangerous than he'd like to admit. "So now what?"

"Hopefully the sedative will last in Jason long enough for the excess emotions to dissolve. Then... we wait." Rick turns to Misty. "We need to get them washed and into some clean clothes." He then directs Reese. "You and Wyatt can bring in the bed from the spare room so they both can be in here."

It takes some doing, but eventually, the two beds are set up and Jason and Katie are both cleaned up and covered with blankets. Rick draws some of Jason's blood and gives Misty the job of analyzing samples from the dart that Wyatt had brought. He assumed that whatever it was, was an amplifier of sorts, but if they could isolate it, they would then be able to work with it.

Sitting at the counter, Rick glances over his shoulder at the two resting agents. Katie seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, her pulse weak, but steady. Jason had a high fever and appeared to be unconscious. Rick hadn't said so, but it would be a miracle if they woke up at all with the trauma they'd both been through. If the strain had lasted any longer than it had... he didn't want to think about it.

Sighing, he turns to pick up the phone and dial, speaking quietly. "Hey, Hon, it's me... I'm sorry, I'm not going to be home tonight."


Out in the hall, Wyatt finds himself alone. Looking one way, then the other, all was empty. Everything was quiet - except his mind. The images from tonight would be burned in his mind forever, and it was all he could do not to get sick himself, just from seeing the nightmare again.

Leaning back against the wall, he slowly sinks to the floor with his head in his hands.


In his office, Reese prepares leave for the night. But tomorrow he would be in early to start a thorough investigation. He wanted to know how the Agency knew where his three agents would be, and why they attacked. There were a lot of unanswered questions.


Jade gives a little shriek as Dan gets up to try and chase her. Going one way, then another, she avoids him, managing to put the popcorn bowl down before she spilled it everywhere.

Seeing Dan stop and laugh, she smiles from ear to ear, the mischief still glinting in her eyes. "It's more fun this way," she counters teasingly.

The couch was her goal, but if she moved to the front, she knew Dan would be quick to catch her. Taking a step in that direction, she fakes it, spinning around and going the other way. Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough for Dan and she ends up plowing right into him. Breathing heavily she laughs and looks up at him innocently as she's caught. "Captors have to clean up the popcorn," she threatens.