The Mysterious Mr. Z

[Zach Long]

Begin Chat
Longbottomz229: sup?
Corona2: Hi Zach! How was today, sorry we didn't get to talk till now
Longbottomz229: it was alright. just a pretty normal day, i guess
Longbottomz229: drew a bit more
Corona2: Can I see? You've been getting so much better
Corona2: please please please?
Longbottomz229: holy crap woman. of course, sheesh
Longbottomz229: you act like i'd be mad if you saw my work
Corona2: I know it makes you uncomfortable. I don't mean to pester.
Longbottomz229: eh, its cool. check em out when you want
Corona2: Thank you. What else happened? Has that grade issue been resolved?
Longbottomz229: hell if I know
Longbottomz229: what are you so worried about, anyway?
Longbottomz229: the old man aint seein the grades. besides, its not my fault.
Eclipse1 has entered the chat room.
Eclipse1: YES BECAUSE THE OLD MAN IS SO UNDERSTANDING WHEN HE'S HAD HALF A HANDLE OF JACK
Corona2: Oh Lord...go away, E
Eclipse1: SCREW YOU. HEY Z, TODAY SUCKED. YOU EVER GONNA STOP BEING A PANSY AND...
Longbottomz229: dammit, E, leave. I don't have time for this right now.
Eclipse1: I don't have time for this right now. GROW A PAIR.
Corona2: Eclipse!
Eclipse1: LOL WHATEVER. YOU BOTH KNOW I'M JUST AN ASS. SHEESH. IT'S ALL IN GOOD FUN.
Longbottomz229: ...
Corona2: ...
Eclipse1: *SIGH* FINE. I'LL LEAVE YOU TWO ALONE. CALL ME IF THE CONVERSATION GETS INTERESTING.
Eclipse1 has left the chat room.
Corona2: Are you ok?
Longbottomz229: yeah, sure
Longbottomz229: what an ass
Corona2: It's his way.
Longbottomz229: his way sucks. he's gonna get me in trouble one of these days
Longbottomz229: i know it
Corona2: Yeah
Corona2: Probably
Longbottomz229: i better get to sleep before anyone else chimes in. you staying up for a while?
Corona2: I had hoped to. Homework won't do itself.
Longbottomz229: well, the art is posted, so you can check that out too
Longbottomz229: don't stay up too late, k?
Corona2: You know me. I slept most of the day anyway.
Corona2:
Longbottomz229: ...
Longbottomz229: goodnight Corona.
Longbottomz229: see you tomorrow...
Longbottomz229 has signed off.

Saving chat. Mainframe 201012010021.

[Zach Long]

Begin Chat
Corona2: Zach, what's wrong?
Longbottomz229: I...I don't know. I had to get away, I couldn't handle it anymore, I was getting so scared...
Corona2: Shh, it's ok. I'm sorry I wasn't here right away.
Longbottomz229: where were you?
Corona2: ...Dealing.
Longbottomz229: still?
Longbottomz229: will you ever stop?
Corona2: ...I don't know. Every time I hope it's the last one, another issue comes up and I have to go back to work.
Longbottomz229: how many memories do you have of when you were younger?
Corona2: Too many. *sigh* It's going to be an ongoing battle for me.
Corona2: Anyway...what happened?
Longbottomz229: just some assholes at school
Longbottomz229: thought it would be funny to talk about slitting people's throats
Corona2: You can't be serious!! You have to tell someone!
Corona2: They could be...
Longbottomz229: it wasn't for real; it was some stupid game they were playing at lunch, Dungeons and...Dragons, Dragons and Dungeons, I don't know. Something E would probably like.
Corona2: How in the world is slitting people's throats a game?
Longbottomz229: no, it was part of the game. they were trying to steal a treasure or something...
Corona2: At lunch?
Longbottomz229: well...yeah?
Corona2: And this is a game?
Longbottomz229: you know what...google it later.
Longbottomz229: the point is, they were getting graphic, and I couldn't ask them to stop because all I wanted to do was run and hide.
Corona2: I'm sorry, Zach. It's ok; they were just...playing a game. It wasn't real. And they weren't talking about you.
Longbottomz229: I know, it's just...
Corona2: I know.
Longbottomz229: Where's Jonah?
Corona2: Probably out swimming, as usual. Did you want to talk to him?
Longbottomz229: no, just...
Longbottomz229: I don't know
Corona2: I'm sure he won't find out, if you're worried. I can check on him later.
Longbottomz229: please?
Corona2: Sure thing.

Saving chat. Mainframe 201012061220.

[Zach Long]

"Corona! Corona, get out here!!"

Zach stumbled forward, landing on his hands and knees on the sandy shore that stretched out before him. He smacked the ground with his bare hand, cursing aloud.

There was a hand on his shoulder, and the light in the sky seemed to shine a bit brighter. "Zach, I'm right here," she spoke softly, sitting down next to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Zach looked up, his eyes stinging from the tears. "What do you think happened? Where were you tonight?"

"I was doing homework."

Zach scoffed. "You were doing my homework in your head?"

The tall woman shrugged, and she pushed a few stray strands of her bright orange hair out of her face. "Don't ask me to explain it, ok? I can rewrite the essay in no time." She frowned then, her eyes darting back and forth as if she were reading invisible words in the air. "Zach...did Ecl-"

"Yes; he did." Zach stood up, and kicked a mound of sand. "Eclipse opened his stupid mouth and in front of everyone called some kid - I think his name is Et - a 'coon-ass.'" He covered his face. "I'm in so much trouble now, I know it. And it was in front of Penny and Lorne, too!"

Corona stood as well and put a reassuring hand on the shorter boy's back. "What did you say?"

"I just...I panicked. I didn't know where you were, I wasn't calling Jonah out, and I freaked out because I thought for sure he was going to come after me and I just...walked out."

"Didn't know where I...?" Corona's face darkened, her eyes narrowing. "That son of...Eclipse!! Get out here, now!"

The sky darkened, and Zach could see the moon rise from the horizon and up, until it nearly blocked out the sun above him. A shadow on the ground rose up and took dimension, two eyes glowing out of the black.

"You called?" the shadow asked, grinning as the shape took a more human appearance.

Corona stepped towards him, fists balled and shaking from rage. "You hid me from him?! What the hell were thinking?"

"I was just having a little fun..."

"Shut up; there's nothing funny about this!"

Eclipse waved her off, rolling his eyes. "Relax, sister. I had everything under control."

"The hell you did," Zach spoke up, standing next to Corona. "What's your problem?"

"You heard the way he was talking!" Eclipse cleared his throat, then began speaking like Etienne perfectly. "We go down to tha bayou and have me some gumbo." He laughed, then abruptly stopped when he realized neither Corona or Zach were laughing with him. "What?"

Corona looked at Zach. "Don't watch-"

"Just get it over with." Zach glared at Eclipse.

Corona nodded, then fixed her eyes on the shadow. "Eclipse, you put Zach in danger AND prevented me from helping him."

"I had things covered, shit."

"What you did was reckless and irresponsible, E!"

Eclipse rolled his eyes. "'What you did was reckless, E.' Jeeze, get off my back woman..."

"Alcatraz."

Eclipse's eyes widened, and his arrogant facade cracked. "You wouldn't dare..."

"Mainframe."

Zach stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. A pattern of lines, like a circuit board, traced themselves onto the sand, and then a booming, robotic voice filled the air. "Mainframe online."

Corona didn't even blink. "Mainframe, execute lock-down, target: Eclipse1."

"You bi-!" Eclipse froze, his arms snapping down to his sides, and his head snapped up. A pedestal formed around his legs, and in a flash, Eclipse stood, imprisoned in stone, a statue.

Corona frowned, taking in a deep breath. "Mainframe, lock-down duration: five days."

Zach turned around, alarmed. "Five days?! Corona..."

The woman sighed, then nodded. "Correction. Duration: three days." Zach opened his mouth to protest again, but Corona held up a finger. "He needs to learn, Zach. This isn't gonna fly. What happens when he does it again and he isn't in control?"

Zach sighed, nodding. "Fine. You're right."

Corona looked up to the sky, where the sun was now shining brightly again. "Mainframe. Execute."

Eclipse vanished, and Zach looked out over the ocean, to the distant horizon where Alcatraz was.

"Zach, you should get some sleep. I need to get started on finishing this homework."

The boy nodded, and turned inland. There, just on the other side of the sand dunes, was the house. He started trodding off, waving to Corona. "Goodnight. Please don't stay up too late. K?"

"You know me." Corona winked and flashed a small smile at Zach. "Goodnight. If you need anything, I'm right here."

[Zach Long]

Zach's eyes slowly opened, the color slowly returning to his vision. He took in a deep breath, then slowly brought himself up on one elbow. He looked around the room, slowly taking in everything, before looking at the clock next to his bed. The time didn't register with him; only the date. "December 27."

"Welcome back, Zach."

Zach turned his head back to his desk. There, sitting in the chair, was Corona, watching him with a mixture of concern and pity. He yawned. "I guess I missed it?"

Corona nodded sadly. "It's over, for the most part. New Year's is next..."

He shook his head. "I can handle New Year's. That...that shouldn't be a problem this time."

"You said that last..."

"I'll be fine."

Corona bit her lip and nodded. "It wasn't terrible. Snowed a bit; I went out and played around. It was nice. I've been avoiding Arthur; didn't want him making fun of your voice sounding like a little girl, too." She giggled, then snapped her fingers, remembering. "You lost your sketch book."

"I...wait. You lost my sketchbook?"

Corona shook her head. "No, you did. I looked everywhere for it; I don't know where it could be. But I haven't seen it once since...since you went to sleep."

Zach smacked his pillow, cursing. "I don't even remember the last time I saw it. Can't you or Main..."

Corona shook her head. "Mainframe didn't save the memory, and I can't recall when we last had it either." Corona sighed. "You had a lot of good pictures in there, especially of Penny. You got really good..."

Zach's face reddened a little, and he could feel the scar on his face burning hot. "Still...alright. I guess I need a new notebook. I'll..." He was stopped then as Corona bounded over and jumped weightlessly on the bed. She pointed to his nightstand.

"Merry Christmas!"

Zach laughed. "You already got me a new notebook. Wow, ok." He picked it up, flipping through the blank pages before he looked up at her. "Thanks. Thanks a lot."

Corona smiled wide, proud of herself. "Well, get drawing!"

Zach pulled opened the drawer next to him, pulling out a large Sharpie marker. He drew a large circle and colored it in black, then drew an outline around it: an eclipse. Then, underneath it, he wrote in large letters:

- Z - C - E - M - J - K - H - J -

Corona seemed to smile wider, and the light in the room increased. Then, she was gone, and Zach was alone with his new notebook.

[Zach Long]

Begin Chat
Eclipse1: KATRIC! WHERE ARE YOU? GET OUT HERE!
B259 has entered the chat room.
B259: Yes, Eclipse?
Eclipse1: JEEZE MAN. YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK DOING THAT.
B259: I think we both know that's impossible. What do you want?
Eclipse1: MORE, WHAT DO YOU WANT?
B259: I'm not following.
Eclipse1: COME ON. DON'T TELL ME YOU DON'T WANT TO GET OUT, GET SOME FRESH AIR. YOU'VE BEEN IN ALCATRAZ FOR ALMOST AS LONG AS HATTER.
B259: And for a good reason, too. I accept my penance; don't taunt me for it.
Eclipse1: OK, SO YOU GOT A LITTLE CARELESS. YOU ONLY HAD A JOB TO-
B259: Go away, Eclipse. You won't convince me otherwise.
Eclipse1: YOU SURE ABOUT THAT? I MEAN...WELL, IT'S NOT LIKE CORONA WOULDN'T RELEASE YOU ONCE YOUR TIME WAS UP. LEAVE YOU IN HERE...FORGET ABOUT YOU.
B259: No, she would not.
B259: She couldn't.
B259: ...
B259: Could she?
Eclipse1: WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T GET TO BE PRIMARY WITHOUT TAKING CARE OF THINGS. YOU WOULD KNOW ALL ABOUT THAT, THOUGH, WOULDN'T YOU?
B259: Yes. I remember.
B259: I remember I nearly got us killed, too.
Eclipse1: BAH, THAT WAS YEARS AGO, KAT. THINGS ARE DIFFERENT NOW. HE IS OUT OF THE PICTURE.
B259: Don't lie to me, Eclipse. Once Zach moves out and is away from him, Corona will come get me to take over again.
Eclipse1: HMM. OH YES. I'M SURE SHE WOULD.
Begin file transfer.
B259: What...what is this?
Eclipse1: NOTHING. JUST A SNAPSHOT FROM ZACH; WHAT HE'S SEEING NOW. HIS DORM ROOM. AT HIS SCHOOL.
Eclipse1: IN RHODE ISLAND.
B259: It's been...there's no way. 2011? I've been in here...
Eclipse1: OH, COME ON, KAT. THE YEARS HAVE BEEN GREAT FOR YOU. YOU DON'T LOOK ANY OLDER SINCE I LAST SAW YOU.
Eclipse1: 12 YEARS AGO.

Saving chat. Mainframe 201101070143.
System Alert. System Alert. System Alert.
Lock down commencing. Engaging safety protocols.

[Zach Long]

Zach straightened up in his chair suddenly, startling the other couple students in the back row of the class who were similarly engaged in reading the backs of their eyelids. A few quickly bent over their notebooks, furiously scribbling what they heard at that moment coming from the teacher's monotone lecture. One huffed, rolling his eyes at Zach before putting his head back down on his desk.

One girl, though, watched him intently, slightly worried at the sudden change in behavior. She bit her lip nervously, looking around to see if anyone else happened to be concerned.

Zach, for his part, stayed sitting, is back ramrod straight, his eyes unblinkingly staring forward. He didn't even sway as seconds turned into minutes. Finally, the girl raised her hand.

Looking over his glasses, the professor sighed. "You went to the restroom at the start of class, Miss Hatchet. You can wait for the next twenty minutes."

"No, sir, it's not that. Zach, he-!"

Zach turned his head quickly to the side to stare at the red-haired girl, cutting her off. In a quick movement, he gathered his notebook and backpack and stood. He marched to the front and stopped in front of the professor, handing him a folded piece of paper that he took from his back pocket.

The older man took the note, eyeing Zach over the top of the paper. Then, he folded the paper and gave it back, nodding to Zach.

Zach turned around and quickly marched out of the class, ignoring the protests of the other students. Behind him, the professor was busy calling the class back to order to finish his lecture.

[Zach Long]

"Thanks for getting here so quickly, Miss...?"

"Dr. Carlson, and it's not a problem. Thank you for calling me. Tell me, what happened again?"

The student sitting behind the desk shrugged, looking unsure as to what to tell the young woman. "Well, it was like I said on the phone, Zach came into the office and handed me a note with your number on it and instructions to call you..." He handed the worn, folded piece of paper over to Dr. Carlson, who took it and opened it, reading.

My name is Zach Long. I have psychological issues and am currently experiencing difficulty.

Please call Dr. Loraine Carlson immediately for assistance.

Under that were her office and cell phone numbers. She folded the paper, then looked at the boy again. "Where is Mr. Long?"

The student nodded to an office behind her. "In there. It's the Counselor's office."

Dr. Carlson thanked him and turned around, walking into the office. Zach was sitting in a chair facing the desk, ramrod straight. As she moved around to the other side of the desk, she saw he was staring forward, blinking rarely, his face stoic. She sat down across from him and sighed, opening a small black book to an earmarked page. She looked back at Zach, then down at the page and read off of it.

"Mainframe. Authorize: Carlson two-seven."

Zach blinked, his eyes focusing on her. When he spoke, his voice was monotone, deeper than usual. "Access granted. Good afternoon, Dr."

Loraine smiled a little; it had been her suggestion that Mainframe at least greet her when they talked. She continued down her script. "Mainframe, request log. Query." She looked up at him now. "What's going on? Why are you switched out?"

Zach's eyes fluttered, rolling backward as Mainframe began to access the memories. His eyes refocused forward. "Unable to comply. That area is restricted knowledge."

"What? Mainframe, authorize..."

"You do not have permissions for the requested knowledge."

Dr. Carlson took off her glasses, sighing. Mainframe was never easy to work with. Times like this, she almost wished it was Eclipse she was talking to. "Mainframe, what am I allowed to know?"

Zach's eyes rolled back again. "Escape. Alcatraz breached. Lock down mode engaged. Longbottomz229 in safe house. B259 escaped. Containment failure. Engage safety protocols."

Loraine looked surprised, writing down what Mainframe was saying as he began to repeat. "Alcatraz breached? Mainframe, who is B259? It's not Hatter, is it?"

Zach shook his head, an odd gesture for Mainframe to make. "That information is restricted, however, it is not Hatter. Hatter designation Hat-ten-slash-six."

"Right, sorry." Carlson blinked a few times, then flipped through the pages in the script. "Mainframe, request access, Longbottomz229. Disengage safety lock down and restart. Confirm?" She needed to talk to her patient, and Mainframe wasn't being very helpful, which was odd.

Zach nodded, then closed his eyes. "Restart engaged. Profile: Longbottomz229 accessing in five."

Carlson counted off the seconds in her head, and as she counted "five," Zach opened his eyes, looking around in confusion. Then he looked at the woman and blinked, surprised. She smiled. "Good morning, Zach. Mainframe called me; it sounds like some action is going on in there."

Zach frowned darkly, narrowing his eyes at Dr. Carlson. "He did what?"

It was Loraine's turn to be confused. "Mainframe...called me. It was an emergency, he had you in lock down mode." She eyed him carefully.

The voice was the same, the mannerisms the same (aside from the suddenly hostile posture he had taken towards her), but the eyes. His eyes were normally dull, a testament to the years of abuse he had suffered at home.

These eyes were menacing, almost glowing red. They were alive, compared to Zach's; full of emotion.

"Someone escaped from Alcatraz. B259." She sat a little straighter in the chair. "Who are you, B259?"

Zach sneered, getting up out of his chair. Dr. Carlson stood as well, not wanting the mutant boy to be angry enough to hurt her. "I don't need some damn shrink. Zach's not home anymore; he's safe. WE'RE safe. Leave us alone."

Carlson didn't move. "I'm not a shrink; just a therapist. I'm an enabler for Zach. For you. I don't give advice unless I'm asked for it. I listen. That's what I'm here for. If you don't want to talk, then there is the door." She nodded behind Zach.

He turned to look behind him, then back at Carlson. "And if I walk out?"

She shrugged. "You walk out. When Zach needs me again, he can call me to set up an appointment."

"You're...not going to just send him to the nutty farm?"

Loraine smiled reassuringly then, shaking her head. "Of course not. He doesn't belong there."

Zach took in a deep breath, before he finally sat back down, arms crossed in front of him. "What do you want to talk about, then?"

Carlson sighed, relieved, before she, too, sat back down. She opened her notebook and then looked back up, shrugging. "Mainframe told me I wasn't allowed to know who you were. How about you start with your name, and go from there?"

Zach considered that for a moment, then nodded. "My name's Katric. I'm the first."

[Zach Long]

Katric crossed his - Zach's - arms across his chest, waiting for the shrink to react.

Dr. Carlson raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, her pen lazily gliding over the paper in the notebook on her lap. She stopped when the silence continued to almost two minutes, and leaned forward. "Is...that it? You only have a name?"

Katric frowned. "You are taking this way too well, Doctor."

Loraine smiled, nodding. "I've worked with patients like Zach for a while. Believe me - Zach's case, aside from his mutation, is very tame."

Katric laughed at that a little, nodding. "You're a lot better than the last shrink, then."

"I'm not a shrink. Just his therapist. I'm not here to analyze anything, or give you a path to follow. I make recommendations for coping skills - such as Zach's drawings - and I can offer an ear to listen."

"Well...where were you last year?"

Dr. Carlson frowned a little, leaning back in her chair. "Zach's parents wanted him back in Oklahoma. He had been here for three months and hadn't shown much progress in school, and his mutation practically disappeared. They decided they had no need to continue to pay for a private, meta-human school when he wasn't worth that much trouble." She tapped her pen on the pad of paper. "As soon as he got back..."

"Yeah, I know. Eclipse and Mainframe filled me in. Corona and E came back as soon as he was back in Norman. The old man was still a drunk." Katric growled a little in the back of his throat. "If I had been around..." He slammed his fist on the desk.

"I managed to talk to his mother. She was scared, but she ultimately listened."

Katric tilted his head to the side, considering the woman sitting across from him. "You? Zach got back here...thanks to you?"

Loraine shrugged. "It was a little non-standard for a therapist, but...I knew enough to know he couldn't stay there. And since they still had a contract with me, I managed to convince her that it would be cheaper for him to continue seeing me here, rather than me going to Oklahoma once or twice a month." She smiled, and her pen started doodling on the notepad again. The silence went on again.

"Thank you." Loraine looked up to see Katric leaning back in the chair, looking down at the desk between them. "Thanks for getting him back. I think, if he had stayed there longer...I might have been forced to come back early."

"Come back?"

Katric nodded. "Like I said, I was the first out of all of us. What's the term you use - alter?"

She nodded. "Alternate personality, yes."

"I was his first. When the pain first started. I think it was thirteen, maybe fourteen years ago, now? So...what...when Zach was two?" Katric frowned, taking in a deep breath. His eyes unfocused, the memories replaying at lightning speed before him as he recalled them. "It started small. Slaps. Spankings. It grew from there." Katric shuddered. "When the old man started drinking, that was when it got worse. I was already there by the time that began. Zach was four by the time I had enough." Katric smirked then, projecting an aura of pride. He looked up at Loraine. "His old man? He had a handle of something or other that night. Probably Jack; he loved his Jack. We knew it was about to get ugly, and I switched places with Zach. I had been stockpiling in his room for months by then - anything I could get my hands on to defend him with. Scissors, forks, butter knives, hammers, screwdrivers. I grabbed the first thing I could find, a hammer, and hit the drunk as hard as I could with the back end of it."

Carlson stopped her doodles, her eyes growing wider. "That was you?"

Katric stopped, confused. "You've heard this?"

She nodded. "It was in his file. Zach had apparently attacked his father during an episode of abuse. It was very nearly an emasculating experience for him."

Katric nodded. "I just wanted him to stop, but after that...damn near killed us." He shook his head, his eyes refocusing on Dr. Carlson. "That was when I failed, when I realized I was just as dangerous for Zach. I needed help.

"So I made help."

[Zach Long]

"I needed someone to be able to monitor everything, first and foremost. With what I was going to try and do, I had to make sure Zach wouldn't just shut down. So I came up with a computer in our mindspace, not much different from the one the family had in the den. I gave it a voice, and then I started with basic programs. Life monitors. Memory filing and retrieval."

"Mainframe?"

Katric smirked, shaking his head. "Actually, it was just 'Computer.' Kinda like in Star Trek. As it grew in it's duties and capabilities, it became an...'alter'...itself. It picked the name 'Mainframe.'"

Loraine nodded. "Impressive."

"I certainly thought so. I hadn't planned on that happening.

"After Computer, I started what I had wanted to do. I needed someone else. A voice of reason to help calm me and Zach down, so that if things happened again - and I knew they would - we wouldn't react in the same way. She was harder to come up with."

"She?"

Katric nodded. "Zach had three women in his life at that time. His mother, his grandmother, and the day care teacher. Right from the get-go, even with as terrible a mother as she was and probably still is, I knew that women were much nicer than men. Much more patient. Much more loving. Zach needed that in his life, and I needed it too. Do you know how hard it is to isolate on happy thoughts and memories when all you know is fear and pain and anger? I think I about went crazy." Katric laughed. "That was Daisy. She was my voice of calm, of love." Katric sighed, looking distant again as he looked inward, recalling all the memories. "She didn't last very long. I tried shielding her as best I could from all of it, but it was too much. She cracked, and I found myself with two pieces of the whole. Hatter was her insanity from the injustice of it all. Jailer was the emotionless shell that was left to contain Hatter." Katric frowned, and slumped in the chair, saddened. "I had failed again to protect someone, and in doing so had further fractured Zach. I had to leave, but I couldn't just leave him alone, not with his drunk father and timid mother.

"I had to break Zach one more time, so that I could let Jailer lock me away, as well. But I couldn't leave a single person; he'd break from the pressure, and then Zach would have a second 'Katric.' But I couldn't leave two unrelated people to deal, either. Daisy showed me that, without a strong bond between us, I couldn't protect her."

"You needed two people of a similar origin, people with something in common."

"Exactly. Zach knew plenty of other kids who had older siblings. I drew on that thought for the next creation."

Dr. Carlson smirked a little. "The twins: Corona and Eclipse."

[Zach Long]

"Exactly." Katric leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms in front of him. "Together, they were stronger than I could be alone or paired with Daisy. Even despite the dichotomy of light and darkness. They operated together in harmony. They still do, despite what either will say." He frowned. "Once I was sure they were ready, I had Mainframe and Corona lock me away in Alcatraz. I told them not to let me out until Zach wasn't in danger, when he wasn't at home where it would be too dangerous for me to be out. And then," He shivered. "Nothing. Darkness. Solitude. Replaying memories occasionally that I had brought with me, or going back over the ones I had locked away from Zach. I lost track of time."

They were silent for a long moment, and then Dr. Carlson looked up. "How did you get out now?"

Katric's frown deepened. "Eclipse came and found me. Told me Zach was safe, and that Corona wasn't going to release me. I was furious. I'd been betrayed by my peers; by my creations, even. I broke out from Alcatraz."

"The 'containment failure?'"

"Is that what Mainframe was buzzing about? I guess that was me, yeah. I found Corona, confronted her. She said it still wasn't safe. Zach was still being bullied, isolated. There was still the possibility, she said, that I might hurt someone or Zach again." He shook his head. "I locked her up."

Loraine's eyes widened in alarm. "You locked away his primary alter?"

Katric scowled at her. "I'm his primary. I created the others, remember? I can lock the rest away. I helped build the world Zach lives in. Corona and Eclipse may have helped develop it, but the beach was my creation."

"It was Zach's creation. You were the tool to build it."

"Either way." Katric shrugged. "I'll let her out, don't worry. I just needed to remind her who is boss."

The doctor smirked slightly and nodded once. "Of course."

"Don't patronize me, ok? I know my job. I know my place. Corona forgot hers."

"Perhaps being in charge for so long in your absence helped her to get comfortable?"

"Probably. See? You understand." Katric's face softened, but he was still frowning.

"So where is Zach?"

Katric's eyes unfocused again as he searched. "He's...in his room. Reading a book - no. Drawing in a book." His eyes refocused. "He's fine."

Loraine nodded. "I'd like to speak with him after we're done. But first...you forgot to mention someone. Where did you come up with Jonah?"

Katric tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Who?"

"Jonah. The 'little' in your system." Katric was still confused, so Carlson continued. "The five-year old? Loves to swim so much he can turn into a whale?"

"Woman, I have no clue who you're talking about."

Loraine matched his confusion. "You don't know Jonah?"

And then, Katric slumped forward, his head hitting the desk. Loraine jumped with a small shout, bolting up from the chair to check on her patient.

And then, as he sat back up, he began to cry.

"Dat hurd!"