Justin remained silent as the others discussed the next step then split up. He gave Agent Short a speculative look "Agent Short do you think we should initiate some form of recording, with whats happening to me using Specialist Doctors or such, just to be on the safe side. I was also thinking it might be helpful to get new Id's etc after all I don't exactly look like I'm 17 anymore."

Agent Short reassured Justin that nothing that like was necessary right away.  "You can just say you've never had a need to get updated ID.  It's a passing resemblance anyway.  It should be.  It's amazing how different we look as we age."  He talked as they got in the car and he punched in the local morgue on the GPS and started on his way.  "Hopefully this won't be a problem.  With the medical examiner on deck there maybe you can have a couple of questions answered.  Just maybe.  Don't give away anything, the world is not yet ready for super powers."  He gives a little short chuckle.

Justin nodded "Especially ones that prematurely age." he grinned
"I was thinking about the different manifestation of the ability. First a cat, then an elderly man and Yolanda these were without knowledge or attempt to activate Then the bugs and the rabbit which were similar to a lesser degree. They were all with 48 hours. The ability certainly has a limitation, and drastic side effects. Wouldn't do to end up a Supercentenarian before having some form of life to recall during my dotage."

Agent Short talked as they went, "Well the only time you aged was when you touched the rabbit, right?  That was also the one that had been dead the longest.  Maybe the aging thing has to do with how long the corpse has been dead.  In the case of the victim we are going to see, a couple days.  Should be that bad then."  He pulled into the hospital parking lot that housed the morgue that held the body.

"Only way to find out is first hand. Hey just hat a thought. If I put one hand on your shoulder and the other on the body the side effect may be shared. What do you think" Justin prompted Agent Short, whilst covering his face to conceal his grin. "You upto it, for the service."

"Uh," Agent Short was clearly mulling that one over in his head.  "If I had to, I suppose that I could," his voice is clearly a little shaky.  "Let's just cross that bridge when we come to it," he says as they enter the hospital.  He flashes his badge and gets directions to the morgue.  After a couple of elevator trips downward and only one wrong turn, Agent Short and Justin find themselves outside of the morgue.  The air smells very sterile and it is a great deal colder.

Several droll comments about the cold, bodies and morgues zipped through his mind, Dismissing these Justin absently rubbed his hands together. "Hope I don't develop arthritis. Agent Short does one ever get used to this smell." he asked assuming that Special Agent Short had been involved in many a Homicide investigation.

"No," was his only reply has a took a few deep breaths before entering the room.  There was a body on the table in the middle of the room and deep cabinets lined a far wall.  Upon entering the mortician looked up and set a knife to the side and covered the body up in front of him.

"You are the federal agent, I presume," the man said in a warm voice and smiled as he peeled off his rubber gloves with a snap and tossed them in a biohazard container.

"Yes, with my associate here.  We've come to see the John Doe," Agent Short went on to specify a street and pulling out his cell phone gave a case number as well.

Justin felt the pull of the many bodies in the room.  This was a room of the dead.  A bowl of bloody water was on the table next to the body.  Justin thought he could see into the bowl, someone's life, a man he'd never seen before.  Behind each of the cabinets he could almost make out the bodies beneath sheets or in bags lying there peacefully.  Thoughts of his own father came to mind and the briefest of thought about how long he'd been dead came and went.

The mortician, Dr. Dillard, who preferred to just be called Dill, was pulling open a long drawer while Justin's mind wandered.

Instinctively Justin reached for his blackberry his fingers quickly thumbing a series of keys, with a speed and accuracy enhanced by many years of practice. Entered his thoughts and feelings of what was happening. "Dr Dillard" he greeted, extending his unoccupied hand, without pausing or even needing to interrupt the process, his fingers flew across the keys as if they had a mind of their own. He would of course edit it later in case he needed to a copy for the record.   
After the initial flood of thoughts, feelings, and images that had passed, he moved alongside Agent Short, "So this is what a morgue really looks like, not at all what they show on the box... What now?" he asks still keying with one hand.

After several minutes of silence, Justin looked from one to the other and shrugged. Moving to the body of the man they said was the murdered victim, he lifted the mans hand and closed his eyes.  Waiting for a feeling reaction or image.  A cold chill ran down his spine forcing an involuntary shudder from him.   His eyes went white.  Justin could see the man on the table standing in a back alley smoking a cigarette.  He looks over his shoulder for a moment and then steps into a small smoke filled room.  In the room were the three that had been in the bakery.  Another few men were in the darker room.  The star of the show however was a dark haired smaller man with a long cigar.  He was giving orders about something when the police showed up.  The police came in and looked around.  The dead man from the table steps to the side and allows them in.  The police turn to look at the man.  He'd been sold out.  He breaks and the scene shifts.  He's in the apartment from which the body was taken.  He's looking out the window, looking over shoulder.  There's a knock at the door.  He's choking.  He dies, and then Justin is stumbling backwards no older than he was before.

The sounds of liquid dumping on the floor followed.  The coughing, the wretching.  The mortician says, "What in the...?"  Agent Short throws a left hook and the Mortician falls onto the floor.  The man on the table sits up and looks around.

"Where the hell am I?"

With a start Justin looked about first at the man then agent short and the mortician. Realising what had just taken place he tried to move away from the thug. His fingers texting away like they had a mind of their own. He needed to enter as much as he could of the images, descriptions of people and locations, what was said and felt. 

Resisting the urge to respond with 'Your dead and in the morgue' He hoped Short would intervene if the victim turned nasty. and kept on texting details. Quickly calculating he needs about 3 minutes to get it all down. Glancing towards Agent Short "if you please,'I'll need about 3 minutes to finish this summation." he prompts then turns back so he can keep an wary eye on the victim.  

"You are in the morgue in the hospital in Boston.  You were killed by a trio of people, but not really.  They thought... they think that you are dead.  If you could just answer a few questions that would help out immensely.  Such as who were the people that killed you, and why did they want to do so?"

"You're kiddin' me?  I feel great.  How they hell did they think they killed me.  I swore that my last thought were dying ones.  I need some clothes.  If they think I'm dead, then I'm getting the hell out of Boston.  Maybe I can pull that money I hid and start over.  I speak a little spanish, I hear they make great guitars in Argentina." he laughs a little, giddy at the adrenalin rushing through it all of a sudden.  The man jumps down from the table.

"Look, I'm federal agent Short, what's your name," Short put up a restraining hand.

"Woah there stretch, watch the hands.  I'm naked as a jay bord so I'm obviously unarmed.  I'm got rights.  You getting all this slim?" he directs his last question to Justin.

Justin nodded. "Sure am mister..." he prompts

"Thing is,  the thugs who left you for dead were using and you were their labrat. They injected you with a hybrid antigen retardant, "Letaliter Sedeohypochondria"; Its side effects include and are not limited to 'False sense of euphoria', hallucinations or lapse of memory'. Do you remember telling Special Agent Short and myself about." he paused thumbing his blackberry in a manner that replicated flipping through a notepad "Your meeting with Leon, Eli and Carrie along with Mr S. Just before some law enforcement officers arrived."  he asked reading directly from the blackberry.

"Letty Seddy Who?  I don't remember any of that.  Must of been that stuff.  They injected me with it.  That's it.  Leon is a sick bastard.  Choke me to pass out then bring on the pain.  If he has the slightest inkling that I'm still alive and kicking, he'll be coming back for me.  His boss, Benny Maglione, doesn't know the half of what Leon's capable of and he doesn't care.  His pet gets the job done, except this time it didn't work."

Agent Short goes through a few folders while he's there and digs into a drawer that contains a folded up set of clothes.  he tosses it at the man, "Your Name?"

"As far as you're concerned, I'm still Mr. John Doe.  Take a lesson from your man here.  A little respect for your elders goes a long way."

Agent Short looks over at Justin, "Alright, my man, please tell Mr. Doe that we need some cooperation in finding his three would be killer associates or he's under arrest."

John Doe pulls on the pants and is careful with the zipper, "Easy now.  Didn't say that I wouldn't help.  They're collectors, or hitmen, or whatever Maglione needs them to be.  Although I kind of remember them coming into the apartment and not really asking for anything.  Nothing that I could give them anyway.  Stupid stuff, like a billion dollars, my soul, Leon has a terrible sense of humor.  Anyway.  I knew I was in for it.  The big boy Eli went around behind me and well, the story is probably obvious from there."

Deftly Justin edited the details about Benny Maglione in his blackberry. "If you don't mind I'll call you Mr Lazarus." he prompted pausing for a reply, then continuing "Mr Lazarus as you say you're willing to help, perhaps you could start with what your roll with the organization was. After all I'd hardly say their way of attempted to kill you indicative of treatment for a general run of the mill type. Its appears more like they had something to demonstrate. " He stated before glancing at the unconscious mortician.

"Delivery Boy, nothing special, either he didn't like his Ham and Eggs, or maybe it was the cool mil that got misplaced under my watch.  I never had the money though, but I got fingered anyways.  So I drop my shit and leave town.  I was flying under the radar too.  I don't know how they found me.  Leon get's sent to do all sorts of dirty work.  Nothing special about me, except that I got away for so long.  Knowing how to hide is key."  Lazarus finds a shirt and tries it on.  It's a little big, but he doesn't seem to mind.  Then he goes on the hunt for socks and shoes, or at least shoes.  "If you all are done with me?"

"I'm afraid I can't let you go," Agent Short said.  "Key witness, and such.  Maybe you'd like some choices in witness protection though?"

"Humph," Lazurus said.  "Do I have a choice?"

Hearing the sum Justin swallows "You say it dissapeared on your watch... Does this Maglione often let assistant delivery boys carry that sum around?. Would you have any idea who set you up? This it sounds like it's ideal leaverage to use to get them to turn states evidence or help with investigations or the like."

"He was obviously more than an assistant delivery boy.  This, Lazurus," Agent Short said, "is underplaying the his role in the organization.  Not the best idea.  Especially when you're on the stand."

"I tell it like it is when I have to," Lazurus said.

"Justin," Agent Short said.  "Let's get back with the others.  The sooner we get this whole mess resolved the better."

"Sure thing SA," he eyes the unconscious body. "What about him?" before Agent Short can answer Justin eyes Lazarus speculatively.  "If these goons were able to find you after so long, perhaps they can do so again.  After all, who knows how they managed it this time."  He steps over to the agent, "They may even have a specialist who's good at this sort of thing." A pause then, "Like us" he quietly adds.

"I'll call in a psychologist," Agent Short says.  "He'll get over it.  Now as far as being found.  We'll discuss hiding strategies with Agent Showalter."  Lazurus trails along as Agent Short leads the way out, on the phone talking with someone else at the agency concerning the unconscious employee of the state.

Justin just nodded, after all Agent Short knew what he was talking about. He hoped.... Following both out to the car he slipped into the back seat, allowing Lazarus to take the fort, This was mostly out of habit and a little out of suspicion. better to be safe he thought. As they went he occupied his time by taking in the scene, listening to any comments and wondering what Yolanda was up to. He started to text a message then thought he'd best check with the others before doing so. Promptly sending a SMS to Agent Showalter, asking if it's ok to text both families and inquiring how things were progressing with setting up their protection.

After a second Showalter sends a message back to Justin, "Anything you send will me monitored at the moment.  Arrangements are being made to get them secure lines on a different network.  Good work in the field, kid.  I'll see you back at the apartment."

Justin gave a little shrug, he'd anticipated that any communiqués would be monitored. After all if they can think these sort of things up for television and movies, then it's possible for them to be applied in real. Considering what been going on recently he wouldn't be surprised by much they could think up. 'Sure thing' he thumbed hitting the send button, opened another screen and text several quick message to Yolanda, Mum and his siblings, most of which were a few variants of quick cut and paste, generally asking how things were, letting them know he was thinking of them and things were to say the least quite changeable. After sending them he spent a little time looking out of the window in an attempt to place the area, deciding it was much easier to use the GPS. Opening google world and overlaying the mapping with his in system modifications which took two seconds to calibrate the satellite feeds.

Satisfied with the result he spent several minutes watching the traffic behind them, attempting to see if they were being followed. "Mr Lazarus, do you mind if I as how is it that you started a life on the shady side of the law?"

Lazurus looked slowly over his shoulder at Justin, then at Agent Short.  Short adjusted his mirror to look Justin in the eyes, "It's not like asking a business exec if he started in the mail room and worked his way up.  There are some things you just don't get into unless you are in interrogation, and this is far from interrogation."

"Not even under interrogation would it matter," Lazurus said.  Justin got glimpses in his mind of a younger Lazurus on the streets of New York City roughing up local kids and getting roughed up in return.  A broken window, a run in with the cops.  Faces that were blurs in Justin's mind probably because they were blurs in the memories of Lazurus.  Before he knew it, they were back at the apartment.

Lazurus sighed but followed along back to the apartment that had been his home for quite some time recently.

=> Go to Boston's Seedy Apt Scene