"I don't know which of you should be committed first," complained Simon after hearing the strange story. "You heard what the doctor said, he's delusional. How do you know any of this is even true?"

"I don't but it's all we have to go on. And it would explain why there's more than one M.O. being played out. Four different psychos working together as some vigilante group. For some reason, they convinced Blair he's the Sea Demon. I don't know why but they gave him the Amitriptyline and used it like a hypnotic enhancer. I don't think they meant to kill him. They want him to believe that he's a super hero for some reason."

Simon was staring at the body on the ground. The two holes in the neck were unusually large. Definitely not made by any normal fangs. They looked large enough to have housed exsanguination tubes.

"Jim, so what you're saying is that we have a group of guys out there that believe they're super heroes cleaning up the city? Some kind of collective Superman?"

"More like Batman," said Jim, examining the body.

"Duncan," said Rafe, now picking up on the conversation. "Duncan MacLeod. He's a TV character who uses a sword. A sharp katana that makes a clean cut when he cuts his enemy's head off."

"Yeah? Well, Batman didn't bite people and suck their blood," reproved Simon. "What hero did that?"

"No, it's not Batman," observed Rafe. "I can't quite remember the whole plot line but there was a show I caught late one night about a vampire that was also a cop. He was definitely sucking blood though. I think it's still on late night television in syndication."

"Okay, we look up his name and if it's Nick then we're in business. What about the fire bug?" answered Simon, finally buying into the theory. After all, it was as good as any they had so far.

"The Human Torch. There was a comic book character called The Human Torch." Rafe was getting excited now. "I forgot what the original's name was, but the new release character's name is Johnny Storm."

"Okay, smart guy," said Jim. "Who's Ben?"

"What does he do again?" asked Rafe.

"Carries a blue lightning rod," answered Simon.

Rafe caught it immediately. "That's not lightning, that's a lightsaber. It's Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars. Ben Kenobi uses a Jedi lightsaber."

"This is ridiculous," exclaimed Simon suddenly. "This is a stretch even for you, Jim."

"It fits, Simon. It would also explain why they would try and convince Blair he was the Sea Demon. That way, they could get him to drown himself without having to lay a finger on him. If he was found floating dead in the boat with the comic book, then we'd think he tripped on the drug and went in search of his comic book hero."

"Blair was into Sea Demon comics?" asked Rafe in surprise.

"I don't think he'd ever heard of him before but that wouldn't matter. It would be an open and closed case." Jim's mind was racing to try and put things together.

"No, it wouldn't. There was too much evidence of foul play," reminded Simon.

"Not if they didn't know he was a real cop. What if they thought he was already a psycho? He disappeared at the hospital."

"They had to have seen his badge," said Rafe.

"No," said Jim. "Review the sequence of events. We've got victims showing up that rival those on television. Blair goes to an asylum where he disappears. Desiree says he was taking a walk in the courtyard. But the gates and doors are locked at all times. There's no way for someone from the outside to get in and no way for someone on the inside to get out unless someone helps them by undoing the locks. Say Sandburg was there in the courtyard when he sees these guys and comes to the conclusion that they're up to no good. He's not wearing a gun but probably does something stupid like confronts them. Obviously, they're going to think he's loony tunes for coming after them one to four. Only an insane person would do that and we all know Sandburg qualifies. He might have faked having a gun or something. Now we know that the boat they used belonged to the latest victim, Jimmy Felton. So they escape the compound with a nutcase who thinks he's a cop out to clean up the city at night. Just like them. They don't kill him, wondering what to do with him and decide that he should become one of them. When they strip him down to redress him as one of the good guys, maybe not Sea Demon but maybe somebody else, they find the wallet and discover that he's a real cop after all. Now, these guys are super heroes, good guys. They can't go around killing cops. So they need to make it look like suicide or an accident. The mark must have been Jimmy so they go on with the mission dragging Sandburg in tow, probably unconscious by now. When they get to Jimmy's boat, he's not there and they find the Sea Demon comic by accident. Maybe he was a collector or something. It gives them the idea of how to off him and keep their hands clean. All the scenarios fly okay. The drug they already take and probably carry with them on their night jaunts is perfect. Even if he's found, he's vegetable soup for quite some time and who's going to believe that four psychos from an asylum are running around loose on the city at night? Nobody. So they give him the drug which makes him pliable to suggestion, they convince him he's Sea Demon and they're just sending him home to recuperate. He floats out to sea without a struggle, gets put down by the progression of the drug in his system and dies from the effects of an overdose. If that didn't work, plan B goes into effect. If he thinks he's a super hero who gets his strength from the ocean, then splash, he's down. He ends up drowning himself, thinking he has gills and fins."

"Wow," sighed Rafe cynically. "You're good. Put some pictures to that story and you could sell children's fairy tales."

"I can't believe I'm saying this but it makes sense to me," replied Simon. "But what about the shirt and wallet?"

"They're psychos, Simon. Not geniuses. They strip him down to his pants, throw his stuff in a pile on shore, thinking they'll pick them up later. Jimmy comes by, finds the pile of discarded clothes, likes the shirt for whatever disgusting reason. Forensics said he was drunk at the time of his death. So maybe he messed his own shirt or something, so he finds a clean shirt just laying there and changes. Then he finds the wallet. What a stroke of luck. He puts it in his pocket to check out later and leaves. He's so drunk, he doesn't know where his boat is and doesn't care. So he returns to the city and doesn't know that the four Stooges have a fan club. He bumps into the wannabe and that's the end of his story. Meanwhile, the real murderers return to the asylum before breakfast and no one is the wiser."

"You've been free-basing some of that Amitriptyline yourself, haven't you?" snipped Rafe.

"Alright," said Simon, "let's just say for a delusionary moment, you're right. Now we have to prove they're real and not just a figment of your imagination."

"They're transferring Blair to Snowden today. It will give me an excuse to be there. I can go undercover as his older brother." Jim was sure that he had Simon convinced.

"I'm with you on the idea of this being someone from Snowden," said the police captain. "This could be dangerous enough for a sane man, Jim. I don't like Blair being the bait. He's in a pretty vulnerable state right now and I don't think we should risk anything interfering with his recovery."

"Simon, I know the risk but I'll be there. Nothing's going to happen to him."

Simon could read between the lines. Jim wanted an excuse to be with Sandburg and in the process, he could use his Sentinel abilities to eavesdrop on the inmates. Superman would be in- house. Sighing, he bit his lip and considered the pros and cons to the proposed sting. The killings had started slowly but were escalating now as the killer or killers grew bolder. There was a good chance that at this rate, there would be another killing tonight. And with a copycat loose, there was even more danger of it happening again and soon.

"This is crazy but it's just crazy enough to work. Not as a visitor though. That's going to look too suspicious. We need 24-hour surveillance and Snowden doesn't allow visitors to stay past normal visiting hours. If you were there, it would look too suspicious and would mean that you or Sandburg had special privileges. I'm going to have to make a few calls first but the safest cover is to have you committed there too. I can arrange for them to put the two of you in the same room."

"Fine," agreed Jim, not giving Simon the argument he expected. "Whatever it takes to get inside."

"I'll get on it," said Simon, taking a last look at the bloody mess around him. "I want this thing cleaned up pronto, people," he ordered to the others moving about in the alley.

Blair wasn't sure about the bindings holding him to the bed but he was sure of the headache and nausea he was encountering. There were flashes of memory and confusion and his eyes were still sensitive to the light in the room. Something had happened and it couldn't be good if he was here. Closing his eyes again, he listened to the sounds in the hall. He was in a hospital. Okay, this was something he had done before. No big thing but why the bindings? Taking a deep breath, he focused on his memories. There were the four black figures. No, five. He had been looking at them when someone had hit him from behind. Four characters in costumes, a boat, the water. Yes, water. He was Sea Demon. He was dying here. He was being held in place by the Evil Lord of the Sith Darth Vader... or was it Chewbacca? Damn, he needed to remember. The last face he remembered was a man's face. Could be Chewbacca after a bad case of mange. On the other hand, he could have been a doctor who hadn't shaved. Jim. Wait, it was Jim. Yeah, okay, that was who it was. So Jim knew where he was and had left him here. It had to be safe then, right? Jim wouldn't kill the Sea Demon. Jim was one of the good guys, wasn't he? Blair closed his eyes again and tried to concentrate on the memories of Jim. Yet everything he saw in his memory was violent. Shooting, running, explosions, kidnapping, Jim hitting him, people shooting at both of them, and even... even death. Now the Sea Demon was really confused.

"Says here his name's James Ellison," said the intern with a smile. "Well, I have to admit it's different. Looks like our friend here was playing G.I. Joe in some wannabe people's army camp and watched a guy get blown to pieces mishandling a grenade. He's been manic ever since. Doesn't talk much but when he does, talks about being a soldier."

The orderly shook his head as he looked at the man sitting in the wheelchair staring straight ahead. He looked healthy enough, strong enough but someone had turned off the main switch.

"He looks like he works out. Can't be too out of it," he observed.

The intern flipped through the paperwork. "Says here that he has aggressive tendencies. The therapists have him turning it into a workout."

"Well, I'm not looking forward to dealing with him off of his Thorazine," said the one man.

"So where's he being housed?"

"Fish boy's room," answered the intern with the information chart.

"Soldier boy in with Flipper?" smiled the other man. "Now that ought to be interesting. Kind of like putting a baby lamb in with a hungry lion."

"Yeah, remember that scene in Jurassic Park where they chain a goat to bait the T-Rex?" asked the one, putting down the chart.

"The guy won't have a chance tied down to that bed," clucked the other one.

"Yeah," laughed the other intern. "Funny how life mimics the movies, eh?"

Megan had been assigned to be the liaison between the department and the asylum. She was Jim's wife. She sat in the room beside Jim who was looking out the window silently.

"I know you," said Blair from the bed across the room. "I know you. Wonder Woman has black hair. Yours is red. You... you're... you're..."

"Brenda Starr?" asked Megan with a smile.

"No," grimaced Blair with a sigh. "Why are you with Jim?"

"I'm his wife," answered Megan seeing a nurse at the door. "Does my presence upset you?"

"No," answered Blair. "Well, sort of. Jim's my friend."

"He's my husband but I can be your friend too, Sandy."

"Okay," answered Blair quickly. "Could you tell the nurse that I have to go to the bathroom?"

She smiled again. "Of course," she answered getting up.

A few moments later, Blair was free to find his own way down the hall, leaving Jim and Megan alone.

"Has he said anything new?" asked Megan.

"Nothing," said Jim quietly. "Just that he's glad I'm here."

The grin reappeared on Megan's face. "I think that's sweet."

"Yeah, real sweet," sighed Jim. "Sometimes I think he's coming out of it and then he lapses back into this Sea Demon thing."

"And it scares you, doesn't it?" she asked, suddenly picking up on his concern. "They said it will go away in a few days. I wouldn't worry so much. It just gives you a chance to see farther into his psyche."

"Farther than I care to," said Jim. "It's pretty frightening even when he's sane."

Megan thought for a moment. "Yes, I suppose it would be. He is a bit unusual."

"Any leads yet on the copy cat?" asked Jim.

"Nothing to speak of. We found a footprint but it's not enough."

"How about the names? Any matches?"

"Only two Duncan's and they both check out. The other names are a lot more common but we're checking them out. Two of the names check out with patients here but no Duncan as a patient or on staff. And as for character delusions, Blair's the only one with that fixation according to the records."

"No other prints on the boat?"

"Just Jimmy's and some other people that check out with alibis. No one connected with this place though."

"Tell Simon to make sure that the doctor gives me the placebo. I don't know what the Thorazine would do to me." Jim could hear the nurse approaching and turned to look out the window again. "You'd better get going."

"Mrs. Ellison?"

"Yes?" answered Megan.

The nurse looked concerned. "You haven't seen Mr. Sandburg come back here, have you?"

"No, not since he left for the bathroom," she answered.

"Recon?" said Jim, pretending to come out of his silence. "I can do some recon." Little did she know that the Sentinel was already scanning the halls and rooms for his partner's voice, his heartbeat, even his smell.

"No, thank you, Mr. Ellison. It would be better if you stayed here in case he does return. Keep him here. That's your mission, soldier."

As soon as she had left, Jim turned to Megan. "You'd better get going."

"What about Sandy?" asked Megan.

Jim shook his head. "He's swimming in the pool on the second floor. I'll get him."

"You sure? I mean, I could go get him."

"No, I can say I was on a recon and retrieval mission. Don't worry about it."

Sea Demon had discarded his hospital gown and was sailing through the water as if he had been born to it, free from the clutter of the land mammals. The water encompassed him like a blanket of soft warmth. He was waiting for the gills to emerge, the fins and gills. Maybe he needed total submersion and he dove to the bottom of the pool. Turning over to look up at the light dancing on the surface, he felt his lungs burning for air. The light from the skylights was beautiful. Yes, this was where he belonged. In the womb of the sea. He decided to take a deep breath. The water would transform him. Suddenly there was a moment of panic as the water filled his mouth.

Jim had been on the stairs when he heard the muffled gurgle under the water. The idiot really was drowning himself. He could hear the nurses and interns on their way as well. Apparently, they had seen him on the in-house camera. Blair was fighting the water now. His delusion was giving way to realization and then suddenly it stopped. He had stopped. Everything had stopped except for the guardian angel who had burst through the door. Seeing Sandburg sinking back to the bottom of the pool, he dove in.

Moments later, he was pumping Blair's chest, trying to clear the water in his lungs and get him to breathe again. The younger man responded almost immediately as he coughed up a big gush of pool water as he regained consciousness.

He was obviously frightened as he looked at the man on top of him.

"Jim?"

"Yeah?" answered Jim letting out a sigh as he relaxed.

"What happened?"

"Your pool privileges just got canceled," answered the Sentinel letting the doctors take over.

Back in the room, Jim was staring at the doctor in the chair across from him.

"That was a brave thing you did, Mr. Ellison," the doctor was saying. "How do you feel about that?"

What a stupid question, thought Jim. "I just did what I had to," he answered.

"Why did you feel you had to save Mr. Sandburg?"

"What kind of question is that?" answered Jim honestly now.

"What do you mean?" asked the doctor innocently.

"Why wouldn't I try and save a person's life if I could?"

The doctor smiled. "Exactly, Mr. Ellison. This goes back to your experience at the camp. You couldn't save that man at the camp, could you? You felt inadequate, helpless. You gave up, didn't you?"

"No," answered Jim.

"No?" asked the doctor. "But you've refused to talk to anyone since the accident. I'd say something was definitely not right there."

"Listen, doc. There's nothing wrong with me. I just don't want to talk to anyone about that or anything right now. I was a soldier. I was trained to deal with these kinds of things."

"Mr. Ellison," sighed the doctor, "that's part of your problem right there. You were never a soldier. You're a broker in an investment firm. You're married, have two kids, and you like to pretend that you're a soldier on the weekends." The doctor cocked his head as he watched Ellison's face.

Jim's blue eyes locked on the man in white across from him. "You're wrong there, doc. That's all fantasy. I'm a Sentinel, the reincarnation of an ancient Incan warrior trained to protect the people and the village. I have super senses. My mission is to protect the city from evil and Sandburg is my shaman, my soul. He helps me understand and use my powers to their full potential."

Blair had just been wheeled to the door and had heard Jim's confession to the doctor. What was he doing? Giving his identity away?

"I'll wait here until they're finished," he said quietly to the intern.

The intern gave him a doubtful look and Blair yanked on his wheelchair restraints to remind him that he wasn't in a position to run. The intern eyed him carefully for a moment and then left.

"Well, Mr. Ellison," said the doctor, "that's quite a revelation. I didn't know."

"You asked me why I saved Sandburg from drowning," continued Jim. "I saved him because I had to. It's like I told you, he's my soul, my conscience, my brother."

The doctor's voice sounded unconvinced. "Mr. Sandburg is your brother?"

"Yes," answered Jim.

The doctor stood to leave. "I can see that I need to reassess your case, Mr. Ellison. Clearly I had you misdiagnosed. You've had a busy day already saving the world. Why don't you get some rest now?"

"I'd like to be allowed to see Sandburg first, sir," said Jim almost pleadingly.

"I'll see what I can do," answered the doctor as he left the room, not noticing the man in the wheelchair on the other side of the door.

"Jim," said Blair quietly. "I'm right outside the door."

In a matter of a second the Sentinel appeared and an instant smile crossed his face. "Back to breathing air again?"

"Very funny. Get me inside."

A couple of minutes later, they had managed to loosen the bonds holding Sandburg's wrists down and he rubbed at them before he wheeled over to look out the window.

"How's the hallucinations, pal?" asked Jim sitting down in the chair next to him.

"What hallucinations?" asked Blair absently as he watched the people in the courtyard below.

"You still Sea Demon?"

"Who?"

Jim looked at him curiously. "That's why you took a walk on the bottom of the pool, Chief."

Blair didn't seem to hear him. Instead, he turned his attention to the doctor who had just been in the room with Jim. He was talking to four patients.

"I think we've found our men, Jim," said Blair nodding to the five men below. "Think you can hear what they are saying?"

Jim scooted his chair closer to the window and pushed it open slightly, letting the cool breeze of the winter day into the room.

The sound was clear and crisp.

"I don't understand why we have to kill them," said one of the patients. "They're just like us, right? They're the good guys. You saw what that guy did for the baby cop."

One of the patients sat down on the bench beside him. "This isn't right, M. We only take out the bad guys. They're not evil. There's got to be another way."

"They're spies sent here to shut us down. They're working for the evil Empire. I got confirmation today. Are you saying you won't do it?" asked the doctor.

"I don't believe it. Are you sure about your information. My feelings tell me they're on our side. We should just ask them to join us. We have two spots open. They'd make a good team. The big guy looks like he could be an asset to our cause and you have to admit that the little guy has potential."

"You're forgetting that we tried to kill him. He's not likely to forget that," said the man beside him. "And, yes, I'm sure. They're detectives with the Cascade Police Department. You know who's controlling them. They're spies alright and the first chance they get, they'll take us out one by one unless we get to them first."

"Let me do a mind probe first, see into their thoughts. If it turns out that your information was correct, then I'll incapacitate them so Duncan can take them both out. "

The doctor shook his head. "Too obvious and too close to home. We have to make them think we're initiating them into the fold. Take them away from here." He turned to the man wearing a robe that covered his entire body. The large hood hid his face and on his hands were gloves.

"Nick, the big one could be a problem. Think you could slow him down a bit?"

The man nodded.

"Alright, Ben. Use your Jedi powers and see if they're on the level. But I guarantee you that my sources are one hundred percent. Be discreet."

"I always am," said the one now known as Ben.

"What about me?" asked the man standing beside Ben.

"You and Duncan need to figure out the plans for getting rid of the bodies. You have until tonight."

The doctor turned and started to walk away.

"M?" called Ben loudly.

The doctor rushed back in horror at having his identity shouted out in public. He was M, James Bond's boss. "Don't ever do that again!" he scolded quietly. "You know we have to keep things secret. This is the best cover we can get."

"I'm sorry," apologized Ben. "I heard there was a copy cat killer out there. Is that true?"

The doctor's heart began to pound faster as Jim listened. "Yes, it's true. That will keep the cops looking for that guy instead of us. He's apparently killing at random and he's obviously not a professional like us. That kind of maniac on the loose scares them more than we do."

Jim watched as the doctor left the four in the courtyard as he continued to listen to the conversation below.

"Looks like we have some plans to make," said the one in the hood. "Let's get out of this damned sun."

Blair's voice interrupted his vigil on the group. "Jim, so what's up? What's happening?"

"The doctor's in on it alright," explained Jim.

"Then we can call Simon and get them arrested?"

"On what? There's no evidence yet linking them to the cases. We need something more concrete."

"They've got to be hiding the weapons in their rooms or somewhere on the grounds then. We'll just follow them to the stash. What if we followed the tunnel?"

"What tunnel?" asked Jim curiously.

"The night they shanghaied me, I saw them come out of a grate there in the courtyard. We just retrace that and we'll have our evidence."

"You saw those four get out of a tunnel?"

Blair was getting a little nervous as he shrugged. "They were wearing masks over their faces but they had the weapons in their hands."

Jim shook his head now. "If I shake it a little more, anything else important going to spill out?"

Blair seemed confused and then realized that he was remembering the night he was kidnapped. It had just flowed out like water in a brook.

"I'm sorry, Jim. I'm trying."

Jim softened and put his hand on Blair's. "I know, kid. Just remember that you're an air breather from now on and we'll be fine."

As the Sentinel stood to head for the phone, his Sentinel hearing picked up Sandburg's name being said out in the hall. Focusing in on the voices, he froze.

"The doc said both of them," said the man.

"We'll have to catch the big one off guard first. He's the only one I'm really worried about. The other one is still too weak to cause much damage."

Jim looked around the room. There was nothing but two beds, four chairs and a small table. Nothing that could be used as a weapon.

"Jim, what's up, man?" asked Blair realizing that his legs were still strapped into the wheelchair.

It was too late. The four interns had entered the room now and immediately were set on by Jim. Blair worked at getting his straps off but they weren't cooperating. Jim was fighting all four men by himself. At first, he was doing a fine job, kicking out at one while grabbing another and swinging him into the third and fourth men. But the one who had taken the kick, rolled back under him, hitting his legs and causing him to fall off balance. That was enough for the others to regain their feet and charge him all together. The five were pounding on the Sentinel now. Unable to stand seeing his partner pummeled like that, Blair built up some speed as he headed straight into the fray. It was like knocking down bowling pins as they scattered and fell in all directions. Jim scrambled to his feet and righting Blair's wheelchair began to run from the room down the hall.

"Get those damn straps off!" he ordered as he ran. "We'll never get out of here with this wheelchair."

Blair leaned down and began to yank at the leather straps again. They were simple buckles but they weren't budging. Jim looked behind him at the four men. Others had now joined them thinking that one of the patients had gone psycho and was threatening another patient. Jim pushed harder and rounded the corner where the fenced cage gate was.

"Hold on, Chief!" he yelled.

Blair looked up in time to cover his head with his hands as Jim rammed the gate with his wheelchair. The wire mesh gave way and they both tumbled through it, into open hall on the other side, knocking down the surprised guard. Jim heard the guard's gun scoot across the floor near him at the same time he heard the cocking of a gun as the group chasing them came around the corner. Scrambling to grab it for self-defense, Jim rose only to see the bullet leave the barrel of the gun not ten feet from him. His return fire would have normally stopped the bullet already in flight but the guard's gun had been on lock position. He felt the sting of the metal enter his shoulder. The lock clicked off just as he heard a second shot and heard Sandburg yell his name. In a blur of motion, metal and flesh blocked his view. His partner had taken the bullet instead. Aiming at the doctor whom he now knew as "M", he pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. The gun wasn't loaded. It was over. He had nothing more to fight with and he threw the gun on down the hall as he crawled to Sandburg who was laying unconscious beneath the tangle of wheels and broken metal.

"Sandburg?" he queried before he was pulled away from his partner. He felt a needle poke into his neck. "Blair?" He was struggling to get to his friend now but his movement was slowing as darkness began to overtake his vision. It was over, he thought again as he finally went limp.

"What do you mean they were shot escaping?" yelled Simon as Rafe and Brown stood in front of his desk with the news.

"They said that Jim went psycho on them and was threatening to kill Sandburg. They had to shoot him."

Simon stopped for a moment. It had just been a matter of time before Jim cracked. Sandburg just had that affect on people. It was a miracle that he had tolerated the kid for this long. No court of law would convict him. It was temporary insanity.

"What's his condition?" he asked.

"Whose?" asked Brown.

"Jim's. Who do you think?" bellowed the captain.

Rafe answered. "Well, they were both shot."

Simon's knees buckled and he fell into his chair. "You mean Jim actually shot him?"

"No," said Brown. "From what they said, Sandburg jumped in front of the bullet to keep Jim from getting hit a second time."

Now the captain sat in silence. Something must have gone terribly wrong at the hospital since the kid had almost drowned. Megan wasn't scheduled to return until later this afternoon after the forensic reports came in on the last killing. Now that they were both safe in the city's hospital, he would just make sure that they didn't go back to Snowden.

"Okay," he sighed. "Let's get over to Cascade General and find out what really happened."

Brown shook his head. "They never made it to the hospital, captain. The ambulance just disappeared."

Jim woke to whispering. There were people standing close to him.

"Where's Blair?" he asked immediately finally opening his eyes.

"Your shaman?" answered the doctor. "I'm afraid you're on your own Sentinel."

Jim tensed and tuned up his hearing. He was laying in the hold of a ship. It was most likely an old oil freighter from the smell of it. There was no sign of his partner nearby.

"What have you done with him?" asked Jim.

"Don't worry. We gave him a proper burial at sea."

Jim tensed and listened again. This time he heard the seawater slapping at the hull. The deep resonant echo of the sound made it clear that they were out at sea already. Not wanting to believe what the doctor was saying about his friend, he began to use his senses of sight, sound, and smell. Across the room was a set of bloody ropes. His sense of smell told him it was Blair's blood. After all, he had smelled it before. Following a trail of blood up the stairs and through the hatchway, his heart began to pound. Were they telling him the truth? Was Blair really dead? Maybe he had just been taken up top. It was possible that his senses weren't able to penetrate through the thick metal walls.

"I don't believe you. I would feel it if he were dead. He's alive. Where do you have him?"

The doctor laughed. "Now that is amazing and if I didn't already know that you're a detective for the Cascade Police department, I might even believe your story about being a Sentinel with super senses. Fine. Maybe he's not dead yet but he will be. You see, he may think he's Sea Demon but he's not. A man can only tread water just so long."

So it was true that they had thrown Blair overboard. If he was hurt, he wouldn't have the strength to swim for very long. Nor could he last long in the freezing waters filled with sharks following the seal populations.

Looking back up, he noticed that one of the men had pulled a shiny thin sword from his long black coat. His black hair was pulled back in a ponytail secured with a Celtic knot. It had to be the TV character Rafe had mentioned, Duncan MacLeod. The man played menacingly with it, showing off his prowess with it. When he swung it towards Jim, he gasped, expecting to feel the sharp blade cut into his neck. Instead, it stopped just short of slicing through although where the blade touched his skin, he could feel and smell the blood leaking from the precise cut it was making.

The doctor squatted before him now. "If you were really who you said you were, then you'd be on the other side of that blade, one of us. But you lied. Liars are evil and evil has to be stamped out for the good of everyone. So Duncan will take your head. Don't worry. It's relatively painless. Then Johnny Storm here will torch your body to cinders before we scatter them to the sea. We can't have your body washing up on shore now, can we?"

"Where's Nick and Ben?" asked Jim.

"Nick's taking care of cleaning up your partner's blood and Ben is using the Force to keep us off the radar."

The Force? Jim almost laughed. He was probably using a radar jamming device. It seemed that Ben wasn't as anxious to see the two men killed as the others were. Maybe he would get lucky and get him to tell where they had dumped Sandburg. The only thing bothering him was the reference to Blair's blood. Just how much blood had he lost? His hands were already working at breaking free as he rubbed them up and down behind him on the sharp piece of metal protruding from the wall behind him.

"It's too bad you were working for the wrong side, detective. I think you had potential as a super hero," sighed the doctor. "In fact, you made a very good team. You risking your life to save his, him risking his to save yours. Those are admirable qualities not normally found in your kind. It's a real shame you have to die."

Duncan raised his sword once more. This time would not be a teaser. This time the cold steel would slice through his neck like a hot knife through butter. Katanas were made that way, forged steel folded thousands of times, polished and honed to such perfection that they were truly works of art as much as they were lethal weapons. Thankfully, he felt the ropes around his wrists break. The wound in his shoulder was throbbing but with his Sentinel senses, he was able to turn it down. He had a job to do.

As the blade came down, Jim rolled to the side and turned his roll into an attack on the man with the sword. It went flying to the floor several feet away as they struggled. The doctor drew his gun and Johnny Storm went for his flamethrower.

Cutting an upper left to Duncan's jaw, the imposter went flying back and hit his head on one of the pipes. As Jim turned to take on the others, he stopped short. The doctor was pointing his gun at him. He was fast but not that fast. Suddenly a pipe lobbed off the back of the doctor's head. Looking up to the hatchway, he saw a soaking wet Blair falling to his knees.

Jim smiled in spite of his situation. They really did make a good team. Using the last of his own strength, he turned to charge at the surprised Torch. Turning to see his attacker, Storm pulled the trigger and a long arm of flame reached out and caught Jim's shirt. Jim rolled to quench the flame but the Torch was following him. Another blast of flame hit just inches beside him as he rolled again. Johnny was laughing now as he aimed and waited for Jim to find out that he was now trapped against the wall.

"Looks like your super hero gig is about to go out in a blaze of glory."

A shot rang out and Johnny Storm's eyes suddenly had a look of shock. Stumbling a couple of steps forward, he finally fell. Exhausted, Jim looked up, expecting to see Blair holding a gun. Instead, he saw Simon, Rafe and Brown standing on the platform.

"What took you so long?" he muttered before losing consciousness.