"James!"
UNCE Agent James Logan turned to the woman behind him as he approached the doors to the facility. Wearing a shield vest, winter pants, thick boots, and a winter coat, he lowered the hood in order to hear her better due to the cold winds.
"What?" he asked, growing impatient.
The woman paused, conflicted with what she was about say and do next.
"If... if you do this... there's no telling of what will happen next."
James motioned her forward away from the reinforced Jeep that was still running, and they ran to the metal door that was lit up by a light above it, managing to open it and close it, finally out of the cold storm that was just beginning outside.
"Don't worry," he turned to walk down a concrete hallway, with her following right behind him. "Harvey is waiting for us up at the station. If he's done his part, the security system won't record anything. You'll be kept out of this."
"That's not what I mean. There are too many risks, too many scenarios of this going wrong for you."
"There's no other choice but to do this. I'm one of the very few compatible with the blood samples."
They reached the end of the hall, where a high advanced door waited for them. Reaching for the scanner, James placed his hand on the panel that traced over him. Next, he leaned forward towards a laser that read his eyes.
"Authorization approved!" said an AI voice. "Welcome back, James Logan!"
The door opened.
Wasting no time, James took the woman by the arm and led her inside, where they took another hallway down to the hanger that was waiting for them. Green and blue lights lit up the way forward. Behind them, the door began to close.
"James, even if you are compatible, there's still a chance that it may not work. No matter what, this will mean the death of your current body. And then there's the concern of if you can do the process again to come back."
"Even if it's a one-time use, there's the possibility that this world could be able to send me back in my new body. And if not, I'll find a way to send the crystal back here."
"Which brings me back to my other concern... your freedom."
James sighed, "If the price to be paid is to spend the rest of my life in a prison on some distant planet, so be it. It'll be small in comparison to what we will lose if we don't try."
"Not just that," he could feel the concern in her voice. "If this does work, then you know they will do experiments on you for the rest of your life in order to weaponize it."
James slowed down a bit, having not considered that possibility. But he pushed such thoughts to the farthest corners of his mind to regain focus.
"It doesn't matter. Even then, I can always escape to a new life after death... assuming this blood can grant that."
The woman stared at him thoughtfully, before turning to the hanger that came into view as they walked to another door. Repeating the process as before, James allowed the system to scan his eyes and left hand, opening the door for him once verified.
A part of him wondered if it would be the last time he would walk through those doors ever again. The thought was bittersweet to him.
Once in the hanger, they approached a Hovercaft, one made specifically for short distance space travel. Boarding, they strapped into their seats and prepared for take-off. Using the system connected to the facility, James opened the entrance way by the wall, which exposed the storm and cliff outside.
Powering up the Hovercraft, he lifted the ship off the concrete ground and turned it towards the exit, slowly moving outside. Once in the clear, he made way for take-off and the engines came to life, super-speeding them into the sky and then into the atmosphere.
The woman closed her eyes and clenched her hands onto the arms of the seat, while tightening her jaw as the force hit her.
James remained vigilante, with his eyes focused forward as the ship entered the outer limits of the planet. With the system's artificial gravity activated, they began their journey to the space station not far.
After managing to calm herself, the woman turned to James, "Are you sure this is necessary? I'm asking not just for you but for my own conscience as well. Once we do this, there's no telling what will happen, which is to say that nothing will ever be the same for you."
Although slightly annoyed, a part of him was touched by concern for him and for herself. In his world, seeing such morality was something to protect. He turned to her, his eyes and expression firm.
"If there was any other way, I would do it. But there isn't. I can't just sit by and do nothing when I know there's a high enough chance that doing this could work. If I die and fail, then I die trying. If I die and succeed, then it's a far better trade."
"But what about if you live and succeed?" she pushed. "No matter how I look at it, I don't see how this ends well for you. You will either be imprisoned or experimented on. Even the best-case scenario of you being pardoned, every agency will Blacklist you for this."
"Can you see yourself living without a purpose? Without a cause to fight for? Even your actions will not be revealed to the public, whether successful or failure."
James believed every word she said, but deep down, he couldn't turn away. Not when the option was right there for the taking.
"You're right," he said softly. "No matter how this ends... it more than likely won't end well. Hell, it's not even an IF by this point, this will be my final mission. But none of that matters right now. All that matters now is the mission. I've made my peace with this, so don't let my decision be a burden on your conscience. It's my decision and mine alone."
The woman took in his words and stared at him, a great many thoughts moving through her mind, before she signed and turned to look out the reinforced glass window towards the space station that came into view.
"Alright, James. I'm with you all the way."
James nodded as he began the procedures for the docking, knowing that if Harvey and Curtis had done their part, it would be smooth sailing.
Once the ship entered the docking area of the station and passed the shields, they landed on a small vacant platform among several others. Before getting off the Hovercraft, James covered the woman's face with a sweater, not wishing for any other staff members to see her, then they walked down the steps of the platform and towards one of the doors leading into the station, passing a few workers along the way.
The door opened for them without need of identification, most likely done by one of his men on the inside. As they walked down a series of hallways, they came to a circular elevator and got in. Seeing the button for the Labatory section, James pressed it and turned to the woman as they began to descend.
"Keep the sweater on," he said. "The security system maybe down but we can't risk anyone seeing you. After the procedure is done, Curtis will take you back to your lab before the system is back online."
"Won't the security detail realize that the cameras and checkpoints are down?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled by the sweater, although her eyes could be seen.
James shook his head, "Harvey is taking care of that. The excuse is that the system is being rebooted and that will give us a few hours, long enough to get you in the lab and off the station before he will be forced to bring it back online.
"But Lisa, the next part is very important. In order to protect your role in this, you have to make it back to your office. Do not go anywhere else, understand?"
"Why?" Lisa asked.
"Because I have a trusted associate dressed and wearing a facial mask to look like you. She's making it look like you're working. I needed to make it look like you were at your office the entire time, setting an alibi to avoid suspicion. But she will leave once she gets the signal from Curtis that the procedure is done. You must meet her at this location to exchange cars."
He handed over a piece of paper, which she took.
"Once there, she will exchange vehicles with you. But before you got back, go grab something to eat at whatever restaurant you like. Order to go. Then drive back to your office and resume your work. If anything interrogates you about your whereabouts, just tell them that you were in your office and that you left to get something to eat. This will protect you from prosecution and even suspicion."
"But... won't they know that I was able to perform The Last Resort Protcol?"
James shook his head, "There are others who could have done it as well. A little too many to account for. We've set up a false trail that we got someone off the books to do it."
Lisa nodded, "Okay. Oh... and James..."
He turned to her just as the elevator was about to reach their destination.
"Thank you. For everything."
He offered her a small smile, "No problem."
"And one last thing," she pulled on his jacket as the elevator reached the Laboratory section. "If by chance you survive and make a life for yourself over there. Don't come back."
Her eyes started to fill with tears as the doors opened, "Welcome to the Laboratory sector."
"Complete this mission, at any cost. But understand that once you go through with this... nothing good will be waiting for you here."
James stared into her eyes, knowing that she spoke the full truth. But he shook his head and turned to the open door as a few people walked by, casting glances at them.
"Let's go!" he whispered, pulling her with him as they exited the elevator as the doors began to close.
They followed through a series of hallways, passing several other people in lab suits who were suspicious of them.
"James," Lisa whispered, her head lowered as she tightened her grip on his jacket.
"Don't worry," he kept her close. "As long as they don't see you, you're safe."
Calming herself, she gave him her full trust as he led her down to a lab at the end of a large hallway, where a man in a fancy lab suit was waiting them, keeping the doors open to the large room.
"Hurry up!" Curtis cried out. "Harvey can't keep this up forever."
The three of them entered the lab and closed the doors, activating glass to become so tinted that no could see through them.
"You can take off the sweater now," James reassured her.
Lisa immediately took it off her head and began to take a few deep breaths.
"You have no idea how easy it is to get hot under that thing."
"Hey!" Curtis cried out, pointing to glass table. "Let's get this set up."
Lisa glared at him before moving to help him begin settling up the table, activating the procedures necessary, while also taking off her jacket after sweating so much.
Meanwhile, James entered a separate room, one meant for sterilizing test subjects. He undressed and put on a green pair of shorts, leaving his upper muscular body exposed. Taking a moment, he prepared himself for what was about to happen next and pushed all thoughts of anxiety and fear to the corners of his mind in order to remain focused.
Getting to his knees, he said a prayer and thought about his grandparents who had raised him, knowing that his chances of reuniting with them were very likely to happen sooner than they would have liked, but it was a reunion he was quite looking forward to.
Once done, he got to his feet and exited the room, finding that both Lisa and Curtis had finished preparing everything. Machines surrounded the table, along with some large packets of blood.
For something that was called The Last Resort, it was a little amusing that it was a blood transfusion on a massive scale by the end of the day.
Lisa turned and began to blush at seeing his muscular chest.
"Um... we're ready."
Curtis raised an eyebrow at her before turning to James, "You have no idea what me and Harvey had to do to get this moved up here. There's no way they won't know it was us who helped you."
James nodded, "I have contacts ready to transport you and Harvey out of UNCE Space. I called in all favors on this one. But rest assured, you will be protected."
Curtis smiled, "Hey... not everyone gets their chance to save the universe, am I right? Besides..." He looked around the lab. "...I've always hated this job."
James chuckled, "Once it's done, successful or not, take her and go. Harvey will be waiting for you. Once you drop her off, head directly to Rooster's territory. He'll help you from there."
"And her?" he nodded to Lisa, making her gasp what he was implying.
James nodded, "She's good."
"Alright, good enough for me. Let's get this over with."
Taking a deep breath, James approached the glass table and laid down on it. A scanner traced over his body and then then cubed parts around his wrists and ankles slid away to create an opening, allowing for metal locks to move around them to restrain him.
Although uncomfortable and anxious, he closed his eyes and calmed himself.
He felt Lisa and Curtis putting needles into his body, as well as a circular part of the table sliding open beneath him as a machine up from below and pushed a series of other needles and tubes directly into him.
The process was excruciatingly painful, and he struggled not to cry out. It was one of the few times he was thankful for his training, even if it didn't entirely amount up to the real deal.
Once done, his body was something out of a Hellraiser flick. Not that the current era would remember such classics like he did.
The last piece to the puzzle was a helmet that went over his head, one that covered his eyes even. It was a blessing that he was bald, saving time on a shave before doing this.
"We're set," declared Lisa.
James opened his eyes and saw through the helmet, with an orange lit perspective from the glass. He stared up at Curtis and Lisa, who stared back with concern, worry, and admiration.
"We're going to perform the process. The blood will be drained out of you and the Foreseer's blood will replace it. If you truly are compatible, it should give you the power to be reborn in the world that it came from. But after that, I don't know."
Curtis nodded, "We can't put you under, so you're going to have to endure the pain. Got it?"
James sighed, "Thank you. And... good luck."
"Actually, we should be the ones thanking you," replied Curtis, his expression turning to sadness. "This will be the last time we will see each other. Just know... it's been an honor."
James nodded, "Roger that."
He then turned to Lisa, who was beginning to tear up looking down at him. Even with the helmet on, he could make out her blonde hair and brown eyes, reminding him of his grandmother.
He nodded to her, silently giving her a reaffirming confirmation that she had nothing to be sorry about.
Nodding back, Curtis kept himself in check as he turned to Lisa, "Let's get started."
As they began the process, James stared up at the ceiling and waited, preparing himself for what was to come. He began to feel the blood start to drain out of him, making him become dizzy and weak.
Then the pain came, and he struggled to fight against it. It was worse than the needles and tubes going into him. It took everything to remain conscious and not cry out.
Then, the new blood began to fill him, and he could instantly tell that it was doing something to him. Mentally saying one last prayer, he hoped for this to work.
In the background, he could hear Lisa and Curtis, even as they voices became harder to hear.
"We have to go!"
"Not yet! Not until he flatlines. If something goes wrong, then it's all for no-"
"We're out of time! Harvey just sent out the signal."
"Alright, let me the sweater."
"Hurry!"
He could hear their footsteps as they began to leave the room. He could make out the doors opening and closing for them, leaving him all alone on a glass table, restrained, and being drained of his blood, while alien blood took its place.
Reprieve came in the form of the pain receding, whether from shock or numbing, he didn't know. But he welcomed it.
A part of him wondered if it would even work. If he could possibly mix with the DNA of another race and use its power. And if it did work, would he find what he was working for and complete his mission?
Not wishing to dwell on what he couldn't control, he turned his thoughts to Lisa, Curtis, and Harvey.
Sadness filled him as he realized that he most likely would never see them in this lifetime again. But he hoped that his efforts would protect Lisa and give both Curtis & Harvey a chance to be free from the UNCE. He wished them all a happy life.
Suddenly, the pain became non-existent, and everything became white to him, even with his eyes closed. He also could no longer feel the glass or the needles or tubes anymore. All he could feel was nothing and yet... a smoothing feeling that brought a form of peace that he had never felt before.
How long this went on, he had no clue.
It felt like an eternity. It felt like a minute. It felt like peace, yet unknowing. It felt vast, and it felt small.
Whatever it was, he didn't want to leave. He didn't want to go back to anything. He just wanted to keep feeling this peace for as long as he could.
Even his thoughts were no longer coherent. Different things went through his mind, having no rhyme or purpose. Memories of his childhood and his adulthood were mixed together.
But soon enough, he began to feel awareness coming back to him as the whiteness started to recede, as did the peacefulness that surrounded him. He began to hear voices, footsteps.
As his thoughts became coherent again, he began to wonder if his attempt had ended in failure and the staff were entering the room to take him off the table. If so, he could only hope the others made it out safe and out of their reach. Even if they took him alive, he would refuse to give them up.
But it became clear that the language he was hearing wasn't English. It didn't even sound like any language he had heard before, making him confused.
His vision became slightly clearer, but it didn't seem to help much. His hearing felt weird, but he could make out sounds of footsteps and people speaking. His body was coughing, feeling his chest struggling to breath.
Whoever these people were, they weren't part of the lab staff. Or part of the station for that manner.
As he regained more of his senses, it soon dawned on him that he was weak and unable to move much. Just turning his head took a lot of effort, including his arms, which felt small.
Then it dawned on him that the reason his vision wasn't working was because his eyelids were opening all the way. He struggled to open them in order to get a good look at the figures above him.
Managing to use his strength to open his eyes, he was met with a surprise as two women stared down in shock, happiness, and relief. They both appeared to have been weeping, like they had just gotten through an ordeal of witnessing someone die. But if that was the case, then why they did appear to be happy too?
Feeling some strength left, he used it to lift his arm and was shocked once he was able to. His hand... it was smaller. Like that of a newborn.
If his eyes were stronger, they would have widened at such a revelation. All he could do was offer a slight whimper, although a more controlled one.
The two women began to talk to another before turning to someone else in the background. He couldn't make out what they were saying and wished he had a way understand them. Whatever language they spoke, it was nothing he had heard of or studied about.
'Accessing Language Idenification'
James was startled by the words that appeared in front of him, although the women above didn't notice as they turned back to him. All he could do was make slight whimpering as he slightly moved.
'Language Identified'
'Begin Memory and Brain Modification'
Suddenly, he felt something pulsing through his body, affecting his head, eyes, and ears. He could nothing to stop it or make it known to the women above him. But as quick as it started, it also started to recede, leaving him to feel differently than before.
"It's a miracle!"
He paused upon hearing one of the women.
"He was dead! I'm sure of it!"
"Let me hold him."
He paused upon hearing the third voice, feeling something familiar about this person in particular. Like as if he had heard her before. One of the women picked him up from the blanket that he was lying on. Her hands were bigger than his chest, capable to carry and toss him like as if he was a ball.
He could make out that she worn an old fashion midwife suit of some kind, one that reminded him of what those wore for birthing labor. As he processed this into his mind, it slowly began to dawn on him what was going on and why.
The midwife passed him to another woman, who carefully took him into her arms, making sure he was comfortable and safe.
As he turned to her, he could make out her red hair and red lips, skin almost as white as now and flawless. She was clearly a gorgeous young woman, possibly close to her 20s, or just appeared to be. Her eyes were filled with tears, which had soaked her face. Just judging from her appearance, she appeared to have gone through the process of giving birth and was recovering from the aftermath.
And if he was correct about what he was at the moment, then he knew who she was supposed to be to him.
"He's so small," she whispered and sobbed before turning to the midwives. "But... how? How is he alive?"
The women said nothing, which told him they didn't have an answer. And speaking of her question, he wondered what she meant.
Before he could think further, the sound of a door swinging open and bouncing off the wall could be heard, startling him and the women.
"Milia!" a man cried out. "Am I too late?!"
"Luke!" the woman replied.
Although unable to see, James could sense the presence of a masculine man, who immediately to the woman's side. He watched as he leaned in to kiss the woman on the lips, staring into eyes as he cupped her cheek. His expression was one of worry, relief, and happiness, most likely to see that she had survived her ordeal.
But he also saw another emotion as the man turned to look directly at him.
While he never knew of this emotion under these circumstances, he could tell that he was regretful. Most likely because he wasn't there to comfort the woman who was clearly his mate, possibly his wife. Which meant only one thing.
"Give him here!" he said firmly, like as if it was a command.
The woman known as Milia, slowly lifted him over to the man, whose hands were even larger and firmer as he took him in his arms. Even with the blanket around, he could feel the raw strength of the man. Without even giving it his all, this man could easily crush him if he so wanted to and no one in that room would have been able to stop him.
Such a thought almost terrified him, but he remained in control.
"He has not once cried," said one of the midwives.
"And we were sure he was a stillborn," added the other. "Yet, despite his size, he lives."
The man known as Luke smiled down at him, "Of course! He's a Alester! We do not cry, nor we die easily!"
Even his voice seemed so powerful.
"What shall we call him, my love?" Milia asked.
It was in that moment that James knew that from now on, his old identity would have to be discarded. Probably even laid to rest forever. It was clear that the procedure was a success and that he had been reborn like planned. Whether or not it was the world he needed it to be was unknown, and judging from the fact that he was reborn into a newborn infant, it would be a long time before he would find out.
"Leon!" Luke declared as he raised him high into the air.
"Leon Alester!"