Extraordinary Shock

Jason keeps his eyes on Gunner's screen, determined not to give away the fact that he was conversing with Katie. Gunner was quite good, however, at being able to read both Jason and Katie when they were communicating.

Dinner sounds fantastic - go enjoy your dad for lunch.
Jason wraps his statement in the same emotions he would have if he were giving Katie a hug and a kiss - just an invisible touch of love that only they knew about.
I'm swamped here today so we'll hook up somehow when the day is over.


Jeff grins and shrugs, giving Katie's hand a squeeze. "Okay... I don't mind staying at the house if you don't." He quirks an eyebrow. "'Cept you don't know who I'm with. Maybe I brought some crazed neighbor or something."

Still smiling, he chuckles, unable to keep a straight face with her. "Naw, it's just Trent. He came to see Thirteen. If it goes well, I'm sure he'll be glad to stay there too, but I don't want to pressure him if he's uncomfortable. We can tackle that tonight though."

Heading out with Katie a few minutes later, they pass by Gunner's cubicle where Jeff and Jason exchange a quick hello and handshake.

"Take care of her," Jason warns teasingly.

"I could say the same thing to you," Jeff retorts, his eyes twinkling with humor.

"I suppose you do have first rights."

"You better believe it."

Jason grins and tosses Katie a wink. "Go have fun. I'll see you later."

A yank on his sleeve forces him to spin back around to the work at hand and Gunner leans back to give a little wave of his own.

"Tata. Good to see you, Jeff. Katie, get out of here before the boss keeps you here, and before you distract Hotshot any more than you already have."

Jason gives him a thump on the head and smirks, returning to the computer screen.

Jeff laughs and slings an arm around Katie's shoulder. "I think we better leave before I cause any more commotion."


Thirteen's enthusiastic greeting catches Trent off guard just a little and his hug is an awkward one, though he does return the gesture. Being pulled into the house and towards the living room though, he throws a glance over his shoulder to Ryder, his eyes slightly wide as if asking for help.

Ryder just grins though - Trent was on his own for this one. He shakes his head and shuts the door then hobbles into the living room at a slower pace.

Trent sits down on the edge of the couch, seeming for a moment to be not even sure how to answer Thirteen. "Um... fine and... good... I think." A little smile finally breaks through as he feels just a tad silly. He really did feel quite awkward.

"I... just, um... thought I would visit." He nods. "To... see if I could help out since Ryder was laid up and... and to see you."

Ryder eases down in a chair and holds in his smile. It must have taken an awful lot just for Trent to get himself over here and he was glad to see it. Thirteen needed that contact with her father and finally she would be able to gain some of it.


Reese nods, still pondering as he picks up the phone. "Jason..." He shakes his head at the silent response, then remembers the task he'd given Jason while sending Con to be with Destiny today instead. He dials Gunner's desk phone this time. "Gunner, is Hotshot still with you?"

Gunner quirks an eyebrow and looks up at Jason. "Yeah, he's here."

"Good. Jason?"

"Yeah?" Jason responds.

"Would you and Katie come to my office, please?

"I can, but Katie's been at lunch for about half an hour."

"Oh..." Reese looks at Rick and Misty. He really didn't want to wait. He hoped Jason would be fine, but if not, at least Katie wasn't far. "Alright, well then would you please come?"

"Can I finish this up with Gunner first?"

"No, I'd like to talk to you now."

Jason gets an odd feeling at Reese's tone, and knows better than to argue. "Alright. Coming." Leaving Gunner where he's at, Jason heads to Reese's office, surprised to find Rick and Misty there as well. There was a strange tension in the air that he didn't like. Automatically turning off any audio connection so as not to bother Katie, he looks around the office with question. "Was it something I did?"

Reese smiles a little and shakes his head. "No, you're fine. Grab an extra chair."

Taking a third seat, Jason does as he's told, still uneasy about whatever this was. Rick's face gave away nothing, and neither did Misty's, though he gives her an curious look.

"Jason..." Reese looks at the papers on his desk, pausing, then shaking his head. He didn't know how to say it. "Are you aware of your siblings?"

Jason frowns, not understanding. "Well... if you mean Derek's kids, yeah. I got a half brother and sister. Why? What's wrong?"

Reese purses his lips, glancing to Misty as if hoping by some miracle she might telepathically give him something intelligent to say. "We have... found some evidence that... suggests..." He pauses again.

Jason sighs. "Spit it out, Reese. What's the problem? Is somebody dead or what?"

"No, no... they're quite alive. The thing is, that we didn't know they existed until now."

Jason sits back, still confused. "Who's 'we' and who are you talking about?"

"'We' as in Rick, Misty and I. They're actually the ones that made the discovery through multiple blood and DNA tests."

"And... you discovered I'm an alien?" Jason holds up his hands. "If I'm supposed to be catching a hint here, I'm not. What does my family have to do with anything and whose blood were you testing?"

Rick exchanges a glance with Misty then finally intervenes. "Yours and Trey Conwell's."

Jason frowns. "I... don't follow. Trey - that guy from Mexico that we're keeping from the mob?"

"Enemy drug dealers of his parents," Rick corrects. "And yes, that Trey. I discovered some interesting markers in his blood so I had it tested and compared."

"Compared with..." Jason fishes for the answer. "...mine?"

"Yes."

He swallows hard and a chill runs down his spine. This was just getting a little creepy. "And... he has an anomaly in his blood too?"

"Actually no, he's quite normal. He apparently didn't inherit that certain strand that you did that enables you to have, shall we say, certain skills."

"Wait..." Jason leans forward a little. "He didn't, but I did. You make it sound like we had the same origin."

Silence.

Jason's pulse picks up as he stares at all three pairs of eyes. What was going through his mind was completely absurd, he knew it. But what else were they getting at? "Would someone please tell me what's going on before I come up with the wrong conclusion?"

Reese clears his throat. "Jase, why don't you have a look at these?" He hands over the test results.

Jason takes them and looks at the columns but really doesn't understand what he's looking at. "I don't... this is all Greek to me."

Rick stands and goes to him, looking over his shoulder to point out things on the page. "See this here... that indicates patterns and the breakdown of your DNA."

"That's me?"

"Right. And over here, this is the DNA from the other blood - Trey's blood."

"So they're very similar. So what?" Jason looks up at Rick, not liking the solemn stare he receives. A short laugh comes out. "You're not telling me that Trey and I are related, are you? Some cocky drug dealer's son from Mexico?"

"Actually..." Rick hesitates.

Jason feels the chill again. When he speaks, his voice has suddenly grown very quiet, almost whispered. "You can't expect me to believe that I have a full-blooded brother. It's impossible."

Reese again looks to both Rick and Misty. "Twin... brother... actually."

"That's absurd." Jason stands up, his tone now irritated as he tosses the papers back onto Reese's desk. "Just the fact that you would imply my mother's been lying to me all these years is an insult."

"We're not implying that at all," Reese counters quickly. "We believe it was an Agency adoption scam. While you were left to be taken care of by your mother, Trey was given up for adoption."

Jason's anger starts to backbuild and he closes his fist. "And what? My mother was clueless that she gave birth to twins? Are you nuts?"

"She was out," Rick explains. "You know the story."

"So you really are telling me that out of the blue, you've discovered I have a twin brother and it's Trey."

"Yes."

Jason didn't know whether to laugh or throw up, but it seemed all sensations collide inside of him. This wasn't just some simple information that he could process and get over quickly. This was a life-changing discovery and one that he was pretty sure he disliked. "And my mother has no idea."

"That's what we have concluded," Reese answers. "We doubt anyone knows except the Agency."

"Why?" Jason stubbornly tries to discredit their theories. "Why would the Agency do that? There's no point."

"Is there ever, with them? They've done more random things than this, Jason. You know that with Derek and Austin both, you had a connection to the Agency before you were even born. And I'm sorry, but these DNA test results are as close to conclusive as you'll ever get."

Jason had a brother. A twin brother. A full-blooded twin brother. A brother that even his mother knew nothing about. A brother that was here now, right here at TJY. The emotions that poured into his veins were confusing and muddled. He was angry and didn't even know why. He was confused. Frustrated. Sad without understanding why. Irritated that he couldn't instead feel apathy. He was worried about his mother, concerned what all of this meant, and nervous about seeing Trey now. For anyone else, it would have simply been summed up as shock. For Jason, it was a debilitating onslaught of powerful emotions.

His knees buckle and he reaches out to the desk to lean on, closing his eyes and fighting this unfamiliar mixture.

Rick takes hold of him to steady him and glances at Misty. "Go to the infirmary," he instructs. "Prep the antidote just in case we need it. I'll be right there."

Jason takes in a deep breath and tries to relax, but it isn't easy. He could control his reaction to his emotions just like anybody - he didn't have to scream and yell if he was angry. But he couldn't control what the rampant emotions did to his body. Shutting his eyes tighter, he feels the searing pain in his skull and starts to sink towards Rick. Opening his palm, things on Reese's desk start to rattle.

Rick quickly takes his hand and closes it into a fist again, holding it shut. "Come on, Jase... come with me... please."

"I'm fine," Jason argues. "Just give me a minute." Why couldn't he just be normal? He couldn't even try to work through any of this new information yet because he had to worry about not breaking anything or hurting anyone. Unfortunately, that only added frustration and fuel to the fire. "Oh, dang..."

"What?"

"Katie."

"She'll be fine. Please, Jason... come with me."

Jason finally moves, a wave of dizziness causing him to stumble. "Why can't I just faint like a normal person?"

Rick allows himself to chuckle as he helps his young friend to the infirmary. "Because you're too big for us to have to carry?"

The humor helps a little, but Jason has a hard time containing everything as they pass by other people and desks. So afraid he would hurt something, his hands are tightly clenched, his body straining against the stress. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"It's okay, we're right here. Just hang-"

Too late. Jason doubles over in the hall as his body convulses.

Rick quickens his pace, having to force Jason the rest of the way to the infirmary. "Misty, get that antidote," he orders. "Make it a quarter dose - enough to take off the edge but not harm Katie."

"Katie," Jason mumbles as he rolls onto the bed. He thought maybe she was trying to talk to him, but the swirling emotions were creating a dense wall. Pain surges through his body like a fire, and his eyes start to roll back in his head.

"No, Jason, stick with us," Rick prompts sternly. "You're okay." He helps prep Jason's arm for Misty to administer the shot. "Well, now we know what a shock does," he concludes only loud enough for her to hear. "Good thing they don't come too often."

Jason manages to stay conscious and partly alert but unable to respond to anything very well. He feels the prick to his arm and a strange sort of fuzzy sensation spread through his veins. "Terrific," he mumbles. "Now there's embarrassment thrown in the mix."

Rick grins and pats his shoulder. "Be glad you didn't faint."

"Nah... puking in the hall is as far as I go." Jason waves his hand but as he does, the light above them sparks and pops as it burns out.

"Whoa, easy." Rick forces him down again. "Just lie here steady." He looks to Misty again. "If Katie isn't disabled herself, I know she's coming, but call her anyway, will you?"


Seeing Trey, Ariel grins and stands up, waiting for him to approach. His comment makes her laugh and she shakes her head. "Nah... I haven't screamed loud enough for anyone to want to rescue me."

Coming alongside him, she hooks her arm into his and heads to the restaurant door. "I'm doing fine, thanks. Hungry, but without work I got to sleep late so I feel less dead today than most days."

Grinning, she opens the door and steps in and off to one side to look over the menu above the counter. "If you want, we can order and I can drive us down to the park to eat since it's nice out today."


Dylan gives Dan a dry look at the invitation to help groom the horse. "You kidding?" He shakes his head. "The only reason I'm in this barn is because I have to be. I wouldn't complain if the world was void of these ornery beasts." Giving a short wave, he turns to get back to work. "I'll talk to ya later."

When he rounds the corner though, he throws one last glance over his shoulder at Comet before focusing on returning to the stall that needs to be cleaned...

The sun was hiding below the horizon. A glow was spread over the ranch as people began to disperse after the evening meal. All would seem normal, if it were not for those who were still absent, creating an odd atmosphere. Dylan had accepted his usual routine, feeling even more out of place, not understanding where his dad had gone, or where he even fit now. Not wanting to bother Rosetta, he ate alone and spent the evening alone like normal, going to his bunkhouse for the night where the television kept him company.

...Sparky rides slowly up to the barn and dismounts wearily. It looked like chores were finished, and he was glad. He couldn't handle all-day rides like he used to. Walking tiredly into the barn, he leads Cinder, who also seems worn out from the day. He crossties her in the aisle and untacks and rubs her down while she stands willingly, enjoying the extra little pampering he gave her before returning her to her stall.

Once he's finished, Sparky puts everything away and heads outside again. His stomach ached, reminding him that he hadn't eaten all day. There were those who were probably worried as well... out on the trail, his cell phone didn't get any service, so Faith and Rosetta were most likely worried at this point. Though he wanted to go find Faith immediately, he knows he needs to go to Rosetta first, so he aims for the main house.

Reaching the porch, he knocks and waits for Rosetta to come. Offering her a tired sort of smile, he nods. "Hi." Coming inside, he remains on his feet, knowing he won't stay long, and he glances around to make sure that BJ is out of earshot for now. "I've been riding all day. Mick's still out there, but as far as I know, he's not gonna do anything stupid. He told me what happened and he blames himself. He thinks it was the Agency with another jab to him and our families - just another game for the lab rats. So I guess he figures if he wouldn't have started a family in the first place it wouldn't happened, or if he would have been there to protect his kids, it could have been prevented."

Sparky sighs, tired inside and out. "I spent a little time with him, but mostly kept my distance while he ran Remington through the mill. He's been riding hard just to let off his steam so he doesn't go blow somebody's head off. I finally had to leave him be - he's still on the trail but I think he's on his way back. He just needed to clear his head I think."

It wasn't too unusual... Mick had always preferred to go spend time alone and work off his stress rather than involve those around him. He often chose the route of working through what was going on inside of him instead of just sitting and talking about it first.

Sparky shifts his weight a little, trying to give Rosetta an encouraging look. "He'll be ok. If he's not back in a while, let me know and I can go back out, but-" Movement through the window catches his eye and he squints to see in the dark. "Never mind. There he is. I'm gonna go grab something to eat and let you handle him." He offers her a last smile and a little pat on the shoulder. He knew it was hard for her when Mick would go off alone like that, but he also knew she was strong and they would be fine.

Once he's left, he heads to the dining hall where there are only a few lights on still. Trudging up the porch steps, he felt sore and stiff, his fingers cold from having not worn gloves, not knowing he'd be out until after dark when the cold settled in. Slipping inside, he glances around, letting his eyes adjust and figuring out who was still up.


Mick slides his saddle off Remington's back and sets it on the floor for the time being. Remington's head hangs, worn out from such a long, hard ride - completely opposite behavior of what the fiery gelding usually had. Mick had pushed him, riding much harder and much farther than Sparky had with Cinder.

Finding a clean towel, Mick rubs down Remington, taking his time. He himself was totally exhausted, emotionally and physically. But his head felt clearer now, he'd needed the stress relief, and now he had a plan in mind.

Returning his saddle and bridle to the tackroom, he limps, his knee having taken a beating today. Getting back to Remington, he continues to rub him down and offer him a little bit of water, making sure that he was completely cooled down and relaxed before going to his stall where hay and grain were waiting.