Jax’s eyes widen and he swings the metal case by his side and in the direction of the man behind him. Mr. Creso releases Jax’s neck in order to block the hit. Jax drops the case and runs out the door. He hears yelling as a man holds a knife in his direction. He runs through the door, past the men smoking and into the streets. He didn’t think he just kept running. He could hear people in the distance but he keeps running until he couldn’t breathe anymore. He passes Nova North Hospital and runs down an alley where he spots a large dumpster. Without thinking he dives inside it and falls into silence. At least an hour passes as he sits motionless for fear that someone would hear him. He finally notices his arm is stinging and he rubs his fingertips over it. He feels something warm and wet, and looking down he sees blood. He must have been stabbed by the man with the knife. The sight and smell of the blood makes him feel sick. His stomach tosses as his nose starts to break down each smell in the trash can. He starts to get dizzy so he reaches for his phone to call Bren.

He whispers into the phone telling Bren he was sorry for running. He tells him he is in trouble and hiding in a dumpster near Nova North Hospital. Bren tells him to stay calm and sends him his coordinates from his phone.

Not much time passes before Bren and Fuchsia are pulling Jax from the dumpster. He had passed out from the pain and stress. Fuchsia performs some vital checks while Bren drives.

Fuchsia could tell that Bren’s driving was being affected out of concern for Jax. She reassures him that he was ok and that she would have him patched up in no time.

Bren looks at Jax, whose head is resting on Fuchsia’s lap. Fuchsia strokes strands of his hair while looking at his face.

Bren sighs and says” Can you tell me about how you know Jax.”

Fuchsia looks up, smiles at Bren and then looks out the window.

“Jax was such a cute little boy. We met when he was eight and I was sixteen.

“I had recently started my PhD in Neuroscience with a specialty in Medical Cybernetics and had been offered an Internship with Dr. Joseph Collins. I had already worked closely with him during my Masters program and his research closely aligned with what I was interested in. I didn’t hesitate and took the position immediately.

“My mom usually worked long hours in order to provide for us since my dad left us when I was little. It was lonely growing up but I understand being a single mother is hard and she was doing her best.

“I spent most of my time under the watchful eye of my colleagues and Dr. Collins in his lab. Dr. Collins was my mentor but he grew to be more like a father figure to me. He also had a son, Liam Collins…. Jax.

“Jax lost his mother in a car accident when he was 4 years old. Her injuries were so severe that the hospital that she was at couldn’t do anything to save her. He often talked about his wife and I could tell that he loved her so very much! Dr. Collins was dedicated to the point of obsession trying to produce faster results in his life saving research. Sadly, sometimes I think his research took away from his time with Jax.

“Jax didn’t have friends and he spent most of his time in the lab with his dad when he wasn’t at school. When my mom would work late or overnight, I would often end up at Dr. Collins’s home. Jax and I would play video games, I would help him with school, and we would talk a lot. Over the years I had begun to think of him as my little brother! We were actually a lot alike when we were younger. We were both different and got bullied a lot in school. I got to see Jax grow up and I was there for him when his father was busy with work. When he started high school, he had joined the track team and had made a couple of friends. I would often go to his track and field meets to see him run. You would never guess but he was one of the best on his team!

“Our research team had developed many new and promising medical technologies. But with any research it takes a long time to get it approved for testing. Dr. Collins and many of the other researchers, myself included, wanted to proceed with testing regardless of approval. You and Sina were lucky enough to be at hospitals that held doctors from our research teams. Dr. Collins and I were able to provide you with your heart and Sina with her hands.”

Fuchsia brushed Jax’s forehead and said “Jax actually has the last project that Dr. Collins and I worked on together. It was as if it were made for him.”

“How did Jax get injured so badly?” Bren asks.

Fuchsia rubs tears from her face as she recalls the night. “It was a night that brought both chaos and death!