Chapter 28

Chapter 27  (13+) JD11 and Colonel Lanier get to know each other better #2040376 by Hyperiongate

Chapter 28

An eternity has passed since I’ve locked myself, irrevocable, into my room; my key long since destroyed. The door can now only be opened from the other side. I need to find a way to overcome my fears and open that door. Only then can I finally know my true self. Only then can I become the Messenger.

*****

Jack opened his eyes for the first time in two weeks.

“Hello, Jack. How are you feeling?” asked Annie.

“He came to me, Annie. JD11 came to me in a dream and said it was time to get to work. Does that make any sense to you?”

“He does that sort of thing a lot; dream talking,” she said. “You get used to it.”

Jack looked around the room and realized he knew everything. He knew about Lise. He knew JD11 had been taken away. He knew that was in the hospital and had been in a coma for more than two weeks.

“I feel great,” Jack said in answer to Annie’s earlier question.

Smiling, he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Jack walked over to the closet, hoping to find some clothes. They needed to get going. However, the closet was empty. Jack looked a question to Annie who handed him a large bag and said, “Here are some clothes. We are already packed. I have a car ready to go downstairs.”

As Jack emerged from the bathroom, a large janitor poked his head innocently into the room. It was his job to let Lanier know when Jack Barton either died or recovered from his extensive injuries. No one had expected him to last this long.

He was caught completely off guard by what he saw. He’d checked on Jack only an hour ago and the man was still in a deep coma. Now, that same man looked as if he was completely recovered and was going out for a stroll with that nursing assistant, Annie.

Eventually, the guard/janitor spoke into his wrist unit, “He’s up and mobile. Highly mobile. Please advise.”

At the same time, a nurse came running into the room, pushing past the giant janitor. Behind her came two more nurses pushing a crash cart.
“Maybe I should have pushed a button or something before pulling all of those wires off,” thought Jack.

“Mr. Barton! What are you doing? You get back into that bed right now!” she urged.

“All of this isn’t necessary; really.” said Jack, ignoring her pleas.

The nurse was at a loss. “Dr. Hendricks will be here in a minute. He’s not going to like you up and about. He’s not going to like it at all. There’s protocol to be followed. Tests and such. And, and….How are you able to even stand! Your body is in terrible shape. Up until a few moments ago, we didn’t even expect you to make it more than another day or two. Now, get back into that bed!”

Jack sat on the edge of the bed, feeling like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

The janitor played at emptying a trash can while whispering into his wrist unit. There seemed to be quite a discussion going on. Eventually, the janitor gave up all pretense at being something he was not.
Approaching Jack, he said, “The colonel is being notified. Until he tells us differently, you are still a patient and need to stay put.”

Jack knew better than to argue with one of Lanier’s men; however, at this point, the nurse was by far the more intimidating of the two.

A few minutes later, Dr Hendricks entered and said, “So, it appears news of your pending demise has been greatly exaggerated. I’m wondering who had “Jack doesn’t’ die” in the hospital death pool.”

After a few words of instruction to his attending nurses, the doctor said, “Let’s have a look at today’s miracle.”

The routine exam quickly became something else. The doctor took another look at Jack’s chart. Broken ribs, two gunshot wounds and several blunt trauma injuries were listed. The doctor could find no evidence of any of these. No scars. Not even so much as a bruise.

“Nurse, can you see what happen to Mr. Barton’s chart. This one seems to be for someone else.”
“Doctor, that’s his chart. I don’t know how to explain it but that’s his chart and those are the injuries he sustained during the attack a couple of weeks ago. As of this morning’s rounds completed about an hour ago, Mr. Barton was dying from those injuries.”

Turning to Jack, the doctor said, “Well something seems to be off here. I’m not sure what has happened but this is not you chart. There is just no way. I’m going to have to keep you here for a few more tests while we try to sort this out.”

“Sorry, Doc.” It was the janitor. “Mr. Barton needs to get going.”

A janitor! The nerve…

“I will not be spoken to…”

Turning to Jack, the janitor said, “Your ride is inbound. ETA in ten. Somehow the colonel thought you might somehow pull through. He’s left standing instructions that you be brought to him the moment your health allows.”

A few minutes later, Jack and his janitor were standing on the hospital’s helo-deck, the sound of Jack’s ride growing rapidly.

*****

Back at the base, JD11 and Colonel Lanier sat quietly; eyes unblinking. JD11’s hand on the colonel’s wrist. Outwardly…a bit odd. Inwardly…things were happening.

They had stopped just short of the door to the cabin.

“I need you to go in alone, colonel. It’s not yet my time. I’m not sure why you need to do this but I have a feeling that this is what you are meant to do; to walk ahead and make sure my path is safe. Does that make sense?”

Lanier smiled one of his rare smiles and said, “It’s what I do.”

JD11 released the colonel’s wrist as the career soldier turned towards the door.

The colonel paused briefly at the door with his hand on the knob. Staring out into space for a moment, he turned to JD11 and said, “Jack is on his way.”

“I know,” said JD11 and then he watched the colonel open the door, enter the cottage pulling the door shut behind him.

An eternity or possibly only a moment later, the door opened and the colonel stepped out.

“Well?” asked JD11.

“We need to get going. You and your mission are in danger and the base is probably the least safe place for you to be right now.”

Both men opened their eyes to the reality of the office; knowing that zero time had passed since JD11 had taken his wrist.

“I’ll have my men take you back to you room. We leave in 20 minutes.”

With that, the colonel got up and walked quickly out of the room.

Chapter 29  (13+) The priest and the hag... #2040836 by Hyperiongate