Rikki sat on his bunk in slience. He woke up there just a few minutes
ago. Apparantly, he and Brandon had rescued while he was unconscious.
He was glad to finally be back on Big Air. Sighing, he stood up to
find the others. He was saved the effort when Brandon walked in.
Brandon looked at him for a minute.
"We going back to Gangrene's lab." Rikki was surprised.
"What? Why?"
"Alex informed Intercept about this. They'll be here in about six
hours and Alex wants to make sure he doesn't get away."
"If he hasn't already left." Rikki mumbled. Brandon shrugged.
"That's what I told him." Brandon sat down on the opposite bunk. "But
you know, Alex can be stubborn at times." He finished.
"Yeah." Rikki replied. He was silent for a minute. "Brandon, listen,
I want to apologize for being rude to in the jungle. I said some
things I shouldn't have." Brandon shrugged.
"I understand. I'm sorry about things I've done."
Rikki stood up and held out his hand.
"So, shall we forgive each other and be friends?" Brandon smiled and
shook his hand.
"Sure" he repied. He stood up. "Now let's go see what the others are
up to." They headed toward the cockpit. Alex looked at them as they
appoached.
"We're almost to where you said Gangrene's lab was."
Rikki nodded.
"Whats the plan after we get there?"
"Well," Alex started, "I'll go in and make he's still there."
"Alone?" Brandon asked. Rikki shook his head.
"No way, Alex. We're going with you." Alex was shocked.
"Rikki, you're willing to face Gangrene again?"
"Yes." Rikki replied. "I have a stake in this too."
"So do I." Brandon backed him up. Alex opened his mouth to say
something but Brandon interrupted him.
"Alex, you can't really stop us from going." Alex sighed.
"Fine. You'll come." Rikki grinned.
"I'm glad we've got that solved, becuase we've just reached the lab."
Rikki said while pointing out the window.
*****************************************************
Wolfgang Greenhorn leaned against the wall of Gangrene's lab. This
was the second time he had taken back control of the body that was
once his own. He didn't know how long this would last, he could already
feel his strength fading.
Living with the entity that called itself 'Gangrene' was not easy, but
he learned to deal with it. For nearly fifty years he had seen
everything Gangrene did. But he never actually threatened others, until
recently.
He heard footsteps behind him, but didn't bother to turn around. He knew
who it was. He suspected that Brandon and Rikki would return.
"Couldn't stay away, could you?" He said to the people behind him.
"I came to make sure you didn't do any more damage." Alex replied.
Wolfgang turned around.
"I know. I never wanted this to happen."
"What?" Alex asked, wide-eyed.
"Ten years ago, I came to the rainforest to find new medicine. But I
found something else instead. In an accident, I was severly wounded.
I should have died, but I didn't. Ever since that incident I have been
forced to give control of me own body."
Alex blinked, trying to understand. Wolfgang continued.
"I have to tell you, I...uhh.." Wolfgang's eyes glazed over and he
stopped talking.
Alex tensed. "Uh, are you okay?"
Gangrene shook his head and growled. "Yes. I am fine. And I will kill
you!" He leaped at Alex.
Alex dodged the attack and retaliated by kicking Gangrene as hard as
he could. Gangrene was sent flying back, knocking over a table covered
with various chemicals. Some of the chemicls mixed and a few small flames
were born. It traveled to the fallen table and grew into a large fire.
Gangrene backed away. The fire was speading rapidly, destroying his only
other lab. Angerly, he turned back to Alex.
Alex, distracted by the fire, didn't notice Gangrene until he was right
on top of him. He tried to back away but was too slow.
Gangrene pushed him to the ground and circled his hands around his neck,
trying to strangle him. Alex struggled, already feeling the lack of
oxygen.
Gangrene laughed as he felt Alex weaken, his face turning a shade of
blue. He looked up in triumph and was met with a boot to his face.
Again, Gangrene was thrown several feet away. He looked over to see
Rikki helping Alex and Brandon glaring at him. Before he could get
he felt a rumble. He looked to the ceiling just in time to see some
of it fall.
Alex gasped for air. He looked over to where the ceiling was falling,
seeing Gangrene get crushed by it. He stared at the debris for a
moment, until Rikki nudged him.
"Come on," He started, "We have to get out before we're trapped too."
Alex didn't argue, just followed Rikki out.
******************************
The three of them watched as the lab burned up, destroying any evidence
of Gangrene's existance.
"Do you think he's really dead this time?" Rikki asked to no one in
particular. Brandon nodded.
"He was crushed by a ceiling and then burned. I doubt he survived."
"What do you think he was talking about, before he attacked?" Rikki said.
"I don't know, but the maybe Gangrene and the doctor who disappeared...
weren't the same person." Rikki looked at him.
"You mean, split personalties?" Brandon shrugged. Rikki looked back
at the fire.
"After I think about it, there could have been a part of him that helped
us escape." Rikki said, remebering the all too easy way they escaped.
"And a part of him that tried to help us." He finished.
"Then," Alex said softly, "There was a part of him that didn't deserve
to die."
After a minute, they went back to Big Air.
The end.
Author's note:
Whooo-hoooo! It's done! You know, this took about a year to write.
Maybe even longer. This entire story was inspired by two simple lines.
"Greenhorn was a dreamer. I am your worst nightmare!" - Gangrene, from
'Green thoughts'. Maybe it was just me, but that just screamed 'Split
Personality!" But is it really a split personality that plagued Greenhorn
for so long? And what about his warning? Was he trying to saw something
important or was he just crazy. I have planned, and am working on, an
alternate season two. And I have ideas for a season three. But right
now, I'm going to take a break from that and post a crossover story
I've been working on. After that's done I will post the first chapter
of the next episode( Island of the Dinsours)
But now here's a teaser summary of the cross-over.
Theorizing that one could time travel within his own liftime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accellerater, and vanished. He awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, that appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping the next leap will be the leap home.
On this leap he finds challenges he's never faced before. With secret agents, scientists, and a mysterious ability called the Amp Facter, will he really be able to complete his mission? To prevent the death of an Athlete named Alex Mann?