Colin MacGregor

Sean smirked even as he gave a sigh of relief. "You know, Colin...you had me going there for a moment. Almost thought that she'd been drugged, poisoned, or that her 'pod-person' self was about to spring forth. But ya still gave me quite a start there, boy-o."

The wisp leaned forward and whispered so CJ wouldn't hear. "However, we need to work on your timing."

Colin shrugged. "While I'm sure the sensible, mature thing tae do was tae le' her go off alone, tae a place we know tha' she's a target, wi' no idea wha' an attack o' this sort would be like, I decided tae take matters intae me own hands, so tae speak."

The young ghost turned back to CJ and leveled a surprisingly piercing gaze at the ex-detective. "Ye will nay be taken by surprise again, now will ye?"

CJ stood completely still as Colin and Sean bantered back and forth. With balled fists, the former detective raised her right arm and and pointed a long index finger at Colin. "You!"

The spirit turned a non-concernced face to her, amused by the series of emotions chasing themselves across her face. Anger, fear, and embarassment were finally replaced by acceptance.

In the momentary silence, CJ pulled her finger back and said, "Are absolutely right. None of us should go out alone - not till we've pinned Jones and found who it was that poisoned the coffee."

CJ next turned to the other skimmer. "Pod Person?" She couldn't seem to stop the smile that spread across her face.

Sean shrugged his shoulders. "Wasn't sure if your decidedly serious and business-like attitude was about to drop or not then."

CJ smirked at him. "I do not have a serious and business like attitude." Her eyebrow rose. "Okay, maybe I do have a serious one."

Colin rolled his eyes and waved her off with a scowl. "I'm after some training time. Tussling wi' tha' wisp reminded me tha' I could stand some juggernaut practice." He tossed the two skimmers a wave and headed downstairs to the training rooms.

Colin closed his eyes and focused as much energy he could into building up his strength, reared back, and slammed his fist into the thick, cinder block wall in the training room. There was a viscerally satisfying crack as the first layer of concrete shattered under his blow.

"Nay bad for a ghos'", he murmured to himself. He continued pounding at the wall, studying the structure and planning his blows carefully to tear it apart as efficiently as possible. Shortly, he stepped back and surveyed the rubble with a satisfied grin.

There was a second wall set up, closer to the door, and Colin smiled in anticipation as he refocused the energies coursing through his gauze. A feeling of warmth suffused his limbs as the speed of his movements increased. He crossed the fifteen feet of distance in the blink of an eye and placed his hands against the cinder blocks. The ghost closed his eyes and concentrated on the rough, gritty texture of the grey stone beneath his fingers.

Once focused, he began hammering at the wall as fast as possible, his fists pounding into the blocks faster than a normal eye could follow. The individual hits were less damaging, but with the blows falling several times a second, he quickly had chips and debris flying in all directions.

A sudden startled cry from behind him froze his movements mid blow, and the ghost spun around in surprise. CJ was leaning against the steel frame of the open doorway, a hand gently probing at a gagged gash in her forehead.

Colin's jaw dropped and he ran to her side, wincing as she recoiled from his sudden burst of speed.

"Christ almighty lass, ha'e ye got nay sense at all?" The ghost's voice mixed anger and worry as he continued. "Are ye allright?"

The ex-detective stared at him, and held up a hand to halt his movements as he reached out to examine her wound.

CJ stared at a point on the floor as she reached up and touched the tender area on her temple. Her fingers came away slick with blood. She licked her lips. "Uhm..." slowly she looked up at Colin, whose expression had softened. "I think...I think you got me." She gave a half smile. "I'm going to assume you weren't actually aiming?"

Colin grinned weakly and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I' would ha'e been a be'er sho'."

With a sigh, Colin tried to force his mouth to form the sounds. "A be-ter shoot."

CJ nodded her understanding. "I didn't know you could..." she paused, then nodded to the area behind the spirit. "You could do that."

The ghost shrugged, somewhat uncomfortably. "Aye, tis nay the sor' o' thing mos' people wan' tae know I can do."

Swallowing, the skimmer moved away a bit more and attempted to stand.

"Here, lass", Colin said as he slipped one hand out of his pocket and started to offer it. Seeing the look of fear in her eyes, however, he withdrew it again and turned away.

He continued speaking, more quietly. "Tis the sor' o' think I've little enow..." He scowled. "E-nuff...control o'er."

"Colin..." CJ pressed her hands against the padded floor. "Uhm... please don't take this the wrong way, but I have no idea what you just said. Honestly - but I'm not sure if it's because of your accent or because there's a roar in my ears." The former detective closed her eyes at the spirit's last comment. "Darl'n, you and I both have tempers, and we both have to learn to control them. Or am I completely off base?" She glanced over at the mangled remains of the walls.

Colin kept his back to the detective, but his shoulders shook as though she'd landed a physical blow, and he leaned against the half-fallen wall with head hanging.

CJ moved shakily onto her hands and knees and moved toward the spirit. "What is it? What did I say now?"

"Look," she continued as she sat beside him, picking through the sharp rubble. "I'm not good at this - at personal relationships. You know that...but if you're in here punching walls, then obviously you're upset about something. And I have this sneaking suspicion, espeically from Sean's reactions with me, that it's due to me."

"Lass...", Colin said softly as the detective tried to look at his face. Speaking as slowly as he could, Colin turned to look at her with a painful expression. "Ye ha'e tae understand summat...abou' the dead."

The ghost sighed as he struggled to find the words. "We're...an echo o' wha' we were in life. Ye ha'e tae understand..."

CJ shook her head and winced. "No, no. That's okay. I can understand the anology...please, go on."

"Bu' me accent...as a ghost..." He sighed and looked away, unable to face her. "I hated i', and I tried tae ge' rid o' i' in school - I go' tired o' being teased abou' i'. Bu' as a ghost, I represent me...true self...for lack o' another way tae say i'." The ghost looked at the floor, not sure why he was telling her this but at the same he wanted her to understand.

The ex-detective picked up a piece of rubble and tossed it from one hand to the other, a thoughtful expression on her face. "So your accent's a part of you? Why didn't you tell me this before..." She frowned. "About your accent? I mean...I've been remarking about it now since I met you - only to the fact that sometimes I can't understand you."

He spun on her then, anger flashing in his blue eyes. "Because I cannae do anything abou' i'! I try nay tae le' i' ge' tae me..." He growled as the spite within him spiked, trying to gain a foothold. The anger swirled, crying out for release, reminding him how easy it would be to let go of his control.

The former detective backed away as quickly as she could, her eyes wide in ill-concealed fear. Her back pressed against the room's padded walls and she used them as a brace to ease up onto her feet.

"Tis jus' easier tae deal wi' i' on me own", Colin said in a quiet, but angry tone. He forced himself to calm calm down, to reign in the darkness.

"Sh-sure Colin" CJ stammered. "You do that. I'll just be heading out...think I might run by and see Joyce in medical..." She started to ease toward the door as she touched the cut on her forehead. The blood had now created a single line over her cheek.

The ghost folded his arms across his chest and looked at the rubble. Without looking at her, he continued speaking. "I'm sorry, lass. I...I understand."

Colin jumped as CJ suddenly cursed, and spun around in time to see her foot twisting on a piece of rubble. Instantly, he was at her side, catching her as she fell and helping her stay on her feet.

The fear in her eyes, the fear of his touch remained, but at least she was trying to get past it. He slowly released his grip on her arm, and her balance held.

She reached out and took his hand before he drew it out of reach and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm fine. I'm just not the smoothest when walking through a field of cinderblock rubble."

"Look," she continued as she peered into his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm crass. I'm blunt. And I'm not the brightest when it comes to other people's feelings. I honestly have trouble understanding you, but that's not your fault." CJ cocked her head to the right.

"Nothing, lass." He turned away, kicking a piece of rubble out of her path. He laughed then, a sharp release of wry amusement. He opened the door and tapped a code into the keypad on the wall. As he did so, a small light over the outside frame blinked from red to green.

"Hell...", CJ muttered. She shook her head and sighed. "I'm thinking I should have looked up and seen the little red light?"

"Chalk i' up tae another learning experience, lass", Colin said wryly. "Courtesy yuir friend lyneighborhood skinrider." Colin shook his head, still unwilling to look her in the eye, ashamed that his lack of control had resulted in her being hurt.

"Then you're two-o for the day, kid." CJ narrowed her eyes at Colin. She straightened and reached down to his chin, lifiting his face up to hers. "Talk to me, Colin."

He gently slipped his chin free of her hand and turned away, slouching up the hallway with his hands in his pockets. "Nothing ye can help wi', lass."

CJ fell then, loudly against the wall cursing softly to herself. She put her hand to her temple and looked at the fresh traces of blood.

Colin stopped, then turned back to look at her with a concerned expression. There was something in her eyes, though, that belied the look of pain on her face. "I'm after knowing as well as ye are tha' yuir perfectly fine tae get tae the medbay wi'ou' me." The anger still simmered, but his control was back in place and he relented a bit.

"Bu' I'll go wi' ye i' ye really wan'." He rolled his eyes, then moved his lips silently, rehearsing a line as CJ looked away, staring at the blood on her fingers. Slowly, he repeated the words. "I'll go wi-the you. If. you want."

The woman swallowed and angrily rubbed at the blood on her fingers, smearing it over her jeans. Straightening, she moved towards Colin, schooling her own features into the old familiar mask of sarcasm. "Yes...I'd like it - if you go with me to the medbay."

Colin stepped back towards her, hands still in his pockets, and turned to look at her before nodding.

"In fact...I'm terrified of them. More so than spooks." She allowed a grin to pull at the sides of her mouth.

The ghost continued on thoughtfully. "Would ha'e given a lo' for one tae be nearby abou' a year ago, though." He grinned at her.

Colin managed to ignore the proffered elbow almost naturally as he stayed half a step ahead of her. "Aye, would ha'e been bloody useful abou' the fourth o' October."

"I don't", CJ sighed and lowered her hands. She started forward as he spoke. "Oh...you mean the day you died. When Ako..." she stopped again, a painful, saddened look on her face.

"Aye, tha's the day." He managed a grin. "See, from time tae time I can e'en joke abou' i'." Working his jaw, he tried again. "Abou-tit."

"Nay much else tae be done abou' i'." He shrugged. "Look, wha' was i' ye came down after, anyway?"

"Oh", CJ snapped her fingers. "Kate wants us in conference room 4 at two o'clock. Sounds like we're off probation."

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Last Updated: January 19, 2004 by Blake Sorensen

Training Accident

1 December, 2003