"Computer, possibilities of teleport?" Walker asks.

"NOT POSSIBLE. INSTITUTE JOHN GLARE HOSPITAL SHIELDED FROM TELEPORT. ANY ATTEMPT WOULD RESULT IN TRIGGERING ALARM SYSTEMS. MEDICAL FACILITY HEAVILY GUARDED. ALL PUBLIC ACCESS VOID. ARMED FORCES SHIP EXICALIBAR CURRENTLY ORBITING COLONY."

"Ball knows that we would be here at some time or other.." Cutter thinks out loud, "it is probably the easiest to cover being so near to Earth. While Irons is in that mental institute he's an easy target for any paid killer."
*

The T.V blurts out the usual garbage. Some talk show with live audience sycophantically clap and cheer whenever the veteran tells his story, and how well he is getting through it all, and he didn't mean to kill those thirty people in that nursing home. His psychiatrist pats him on his back metaphorically with patronizing comment; something about his patient coming a long way since he first entered the institute of John Glare.

A schizophrenic sits next to Irons, nodding in agreement, "well he has improved a bit..I don't reckon he'll ever be right. Do you?"

Irons doesn't answer. He hasn't answered a question for years or spoke to anyone. This Eric (the schizophrenic) has been trying to engage him in conversation for the last few days; since he voluntarily entered the institute. He'll learn. It's been ten years since Irons first entered. Picked up wondering butt-naked and covered in blood from a load of people who tried to kill him, on Earth. He knows that he is not mad. You don't have to be. But he knows that he isn't really a full ticket. That's part of the job. How can you go through all that shit that the team went through and still have a full set of marbles? An enigma to the authorities, impervious to drugs and with no identity, the Irons he claims himself to be died centuries ago on Holodern IV.

Ball has visited him a few times, under the name of Commissioner Treaves. He offered help. Even his friend admitted that Irons was a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

Irons has decided he shall not speak to old colleagues or anyone anymore, it is pointless. Eric chunters on. He thinks that Eric should try to slash his wrists again.
*
They leave the craft, a mile off from John Glare section. Walker scans for the blind spot in the hospital's radar. Finding it he signals to Reed to follow directly behind him. The radar picks up coming and going hospital traffic. They are cloaked to it but their slight disturbance of rock can alert it if they are not careful.

Suddenly a police vehicle comes overhead.

Reed aims his weapon as it dives. Cutter withdraws his staser just in case. The craft sails on not discovering them. A small amount of dust unsettles from them, moving slow in vacuum.

The police spin around drawing back.
*
The two officers in the police craft check their scanners. Nothing. They both wonder why dust moved underneath, as if something was there. They decide to take a close look, lowering the craft within disembarking distance to ground level.
*
Reed jumps up, gently, still invisible to crew of craft but not to Walker's helmet visor, set on their cloaking device, latching onto police craft, majestically coming up to eye level with cockpit. A policeman looks directly through him. The officer visually searches the ground maintaining position of vehicle. He fires weapon point-blank.

The vacuum rips open the air inside cockpit as it spins out of control.

Reed has kicked himself away.

It plummets into the ground momentarily then takes up more speed.

Walker aims weapon, about to fire but the craft disappears over the crest of a mountain. Brushing it, then going to the direction of uncultivated section of Mars.
*
Irons sees JESTER, or....he hears him as clear as day anyway in his head, 'How goes it amigo? Everything A-o.k? Food to your satisfaction?'

Eric, who was trying to engage Irons in conversation has given up and decided to have a game of ping pong.

'What do you want Jester?' Irons thinks the response to himself, expertly hiding his inner conversations; if he were to speak out he would be deemed a lot more serious and moved onto a more secure wing.

'Just saying hello old chap? Can't I speak to you? I...thought... I thought you liked my humour? Private?'

'Are you crying Jester?'

'HA! HA! Got you that time didn't I?!'

'Is there really any need for this creep to be here?' CUTTER speaks within Irons head, a voice exactly like Walker's but just another hallucination.

Irons has five characters which he has given nicknames- JESTER, CUTTER; after a certain individual he used to know, PRIEST, DEATH AND POOFTAH. They all don't really exist, Irons knows this. But it gives him someone to talk to in his self-imposed vow of silence.
*
Clare has been working there for over a year. The wage increase was most welcome. A past colleague (and mentor) once said that the Mars clinic equals a high pay for high boredom factor. Not an original thing to say but Dr. Britten was brilliant with the patients. She thought the good name of the John Glare Hospital would boost her own work. Evidently not.

'Well I suppose it's time to get it out of the way,' the analyst thinks walking to B wing.
*
He knows that Clare will be approaching soon. It' s coming up to eight-thirty. She'll probably recommend that he be transferred (temporarily) to A wing for twenty-four hour observation. They all do. And then she'll eventually pass him on to someone else. They all do.

'Then fuck them!!' CUTTER'S voice springs into Irons head.

'We have been doing so since we...I mean, I have got in here. It is alright for you characters...you can leave any time you want....I can't!'

DEATH says something. Irons never hears the words but knows exactly what DEATH has said. He is the most level headed of the lot.

'And I will not kill myself Death, which would give you great pleasure I know but it is difficult...especially in here. What was that? How many times do I have to tell you Death this whole neurosis isn't about the fucking one battle?! It's the whole shebang! Do you know how old I am? Do you know what I have seen? How hard it is to kill a Univarian altered being??!

'All that I knew when I was human has gone. He and the rest of the squad have moved away from all that we knew, into a universe which is perverted by the increase of technology. Why should I argue? Maybe that is all bullshit. How should I know when all I do is talk to you lot??!!'

'Now........I don't think you are being very fair to yourself. If I am not mistaken, me, along with everyone- including Mr. Death, have agreed that you shouldn't be so hard on yourself.'

'FUCK OFF POOFTAH!' Irons shouts in reply to the voice in his head.

'I can see we are a bit negative today,' POOFTAH replies to Irons outburst.

PRIEST enters into Iron head, 'don't you talk to Clare today? It would not do any harm whatsoever. She might even be able to help you with your problems.'

'FUCK PROBLEMS!! DO YOU FUCKIN' THINK THAT THIS IS SOME FUCKIN' PARTY??' Irons wishes sometimes they would just shut up.

'We will, as my colleague has just said, get nowhere with that kind of outlook to the issues you have to address.'

Clare comes behind Irons through ward door. The room silences as the lock hisses back shut. Security (nurses) flank either side of her. Her heart rate is slightly above normal. Even though she is quite experienced, having dealt with potentially violent patients before, she still has difficulty in dealing with this one; there is something unique about him, he understands everything that is going on: he just won't let on. Clare Goodrick is determined to get him speaking, at least say a word and not have him written off.

The guards assume their positions. Discreetly away from Clare so that she may talk to the patient but far enough to get a shot in if needs be. They have never had any trouble with Irons. That makes them even more nervous- how can one person, who killed so many with only his bare fists, feet, sword thing, now be polite, reserved; so introverted? So non-violent?

She sits on a chair next to him where the schizophrenic sat. She looks gentle. Smiling nicely and opening with, "good evening Mr. Irons."
*
They move through the corridors easily. Hospital staff to focused on their tasks to notice the slight push of wind that hits them as two cloaked men head toward the B wing. A police officer accompanies a nurse down the direction Reed and Walker head.

The two men stop behind the officer and nurse. Their visors show each other in a blue tone as Reed signals to copper, suggesting they follow.
*
Clare's words fall on 'deaf' ears.

The two burly male nurses go over to Dr. Goodrick.

Irons watches through T.V with a blank expression whilst his brain races around a multitude of voices which are screaming at him to kill himself, or her, or both, or speak; maybe talk about the weather on Earth, or comment on how beautiful and long her hair is. Irons the person does nothing but sit there, ignoring the voices.
*
The policewoman breaks right with the nurse. Reed and Walker are in sight of B wing, with their unofficial tour guides. Through reinforced glass they hear a television set. It may be the back of Irons head, they are not sure who is sat in front of the goggle box. Their man may be further up the ward. They know Irons is in B wing.
*
One of the nurse's shakes his head, expressing the good doctor's disappointment for her. He has seen it many times before. Some of the patient's in there should be just shot and put out of their misery, in his opinion. It would save a hell of lot of time, money and good doctors efforts (people like Clare), then they could get on with patients who can be cured.

"I will reach that guy Terry," she says eyes still looking on sadly to Irons.

"I wouldn't be too sure," Terry's colleague reflects pessimistically.
*
The policewoman and nurse are behind them as Reed opens door to ward B, overriding lock in few seconds- scrambling combination. He and Walker steal through door, fusing lock behind them.

Walker squats down to the left of two nurses and Dr. Goodrick who are unaware of the unauthorized presence, staring surprised at the door. Terry has half withdrawn his stun gun. Reed sweeps around to the right, aiming his staser at other guard who asks, "wha's a going on Terry?"

Clare is curious about the door, something else though is taking hold of her attention. lrons stands and is also looking at the door. He appears as though he wishes to say something.

Walker spies Irons.

Irons looks directly through Walker. Reed raises five fingers in count down sequence.

Terry approaches slowly. He turns to his colleagues. The bloke shrugs his shoulders, pressing radio on wrist.
*
The sarge is down to two fingers. The policewoman and nurse have discovered the door is fused shut and are stuck behind it, with Terry still on radio, trying to find out what is going on. Only a few seconds have passed in what seems a longer amount of time.

Clare watches as Irons seems to be looking at something in the corner of the room. Her heart misses a beat when she sees the dumb patient whisper, "Cutter. Cutter here."
*
Two flashes of light erupt in the ward startling patients and staff alike. They scream and create a mass hullabaloo. Some not bothering but continuing with their games or business. Clare is knocked down by Terry's colleague, he stumbles for a moment then falls on top of her taken out by a shot from Reed. Terry is thrown backwards several feet, his body twisting from a shot off Cutter's weapon.

Irons observes his doctor struggling to get the body off her. He smiles at her (the voices in his head are even silenced by the sudden events).

Walker de-cloaks. The policewoman looks shocked as the de-cloaked man aims his weapon at her, even through the reinforced glass- she ducks down.
*
Walker is standing right next to Irons. Visor up he looks directly into the man he used to know.

Dr. Goodrick is stunned. The sudden appearance of a man in full space gear is not one you expect in a hospital. The police did warn her and the rest of the staff to be on the alert, to let them know if anything remotely strange or suspicious occurs. Clare thinks that this could be categorized as slightly bizarre. She attempts to conceal the fact that she is about to signal directly to head office, moving her hand across her communication bracelet, "what on Earth do you think you are doing?"

Walker turns to her staser in hand, not aiming at her. Irons smiles.

The doctor's hand yanks up of its own accord. Her communication device is pulled off forcefully, thrown across room. She is being held by something. Dr. Goodrick lurches back, thrown with a squeal as she crashes into some shoddy furniture.

Another spaceman appears where she used to stand a few seconds previous. Reed ups his visor, tutting at her as if she were a naughty school girl. He points his staser at her. Clare is in shock a little now, feeling her body going cold. A patient approaches her, distressed by the whole thing, putting his arm underneath hers, lifting. The patient shoots a begrudging glare.

Reed's eyes appear cold under helmet. He speaks in low, calculative threat, "leave her there sir. We will be-"

Walker grabs Irons, "let's go."

Reed hears Walker's words disappearing, cloaked. Walker recloaks, placing a buddy helmet onto Irons, which in turn morphs an entire suit over him. In a matter of seconds Irons disappears too.