Mister Nobody

Chapter 9

Rubbing his face in his hands, Jack tried to absorb all the information Alison had just given to him, having to realize that every single thing he thought he knew about himself was a lie. "So...I'm just a government experiment? Some kid who was stolen from his parents?" Alison nodded. "Yes Jack. I'm sorry." She looked genuinely remorseful too, and Jack wondered how much she knew about his past. "That still doesn't explain why I'm here in New York." Sighing, Alison looked down. "I brought you here, Jack. I...found out something that Castling was planning on doing, and realized that I couldn't let it happen. So before I was going to be drugged and shipped out, I escaped. Then, I tracked you down. I remembered you from some of the classes we took. You were strong, capable, smart. You would be the perfect ally. I found you at your house in Connecticut, but you had already been given Ozone. I had to inject you with the counter-agent, which would give you all your memories back. But...it made things worse. You lost all control, and you almost killed me in the process." She motioned to her neck, which had a few bruises on the side.

Jack didn't know what to be more shocked at: the fact he'd almost killed her, or he couldn't remember any of it. "So, I injected you with more, all of what I had. It knocked you out, and sent you back to square one. No memories of Castling, your training, nothing." Jack frowned. "Then how the hell was I able to take down those cops?" Alison smiled slightly. "You can't make a bird forget how to fly once it's learned how. All of that was just instinct. Which, by the way, you still are as good as I remember." Jack wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but he didn't focus on it for too long. "So...you brought me to New York...then threatened to kill me? And what about the cops?" Sighing, Alison looked down. "I was panicking, not sure what to do. I was just trying to get your attention so you'd listen to me." She pulled out her phone, then dialled a number on it. Suddenly, the phone that Jack had found this morning began to ring. Picking it up, Jack answered. When Alison spoke, her voice had been modified, changed to the same voice from earlier. "Recognize me now?" She said as she hung up. Jack put the phone down, then nodded. "Ok...why the 500 dollars and whole thing about Ralston?"

Shrugging, Alison sighed. "All part of the illusion. Like I said, I needed your attention, and giving you all of that was to make sure you'd listen to me. Ralston...was just a cover. He is real, but he's not me. I didn't call the cops on you, I promise that. I was waiting outside for you to show up, and I was about to walk in when I saw them. I couldn't risk blowing my cover, so I ran. Turns out you didn't need my help after all." Sighing, Jack ran his fingers through his hair. "Those weren't ordinary cops though. Not just them, but normal people too." Alison laced her fingers together on the table. "You don't understand the amount of connections Castling has. Anyone, anywhere could be working for them. If you want to stay alive, you can't trust anyone." Jack looked at Alison warily. "Does that include you?" Sighing, Alison leaned back. "You don't have to trust me if you want. But right now, I am your only hope of staying alive." Thinking to himself, Jack paused, then looked back at Alison. "What do you want me to do?"