Jeanne d'Arc
Odd how two completely unrelated activities can feel identical when being performed. Jason traced a line through the ape’s flesh with his scalpel. The feeling of a small utensil between his fingers reminded him of writing. Both actions were things he was familiar with.
When Jason first began school, he discovered he was a child prodigy in writing. By the time he arrived at high school, he learned that he was also gifted in medical expertise. The day his teacher brought a frog into the classroom for dissection he showed incredible skill in the practice.
That day was what lead to his current position. After discovering his talent, he immediately sent applications to medical schools around the country, receiving letters back from many of them.
It was now his second year in California’s top medical school and the first time he got to practice dissection on a humanoid animal. Jason always found this part of the process the easiest, but strangely enough practicing on a human-like animal seemed even easier.
Blood never scared him. Neither did the interior of a living being. This time however he was even more comfortable than usual. He drew a perfect line in the ape’s skin and carefully opened the incision.
At the day’s conclusion Jason had completed the task and had expertly sewn up the incision. He packed his tools into his bag and exited the classroom. The prodigy always found surgery the easiest and most enjoyable part of the practicum. While he showed skill with any medical instrument; he was best when using his own.
He always brought his own medical bag. This bag had been in Jason’s family for several generations, granted to him by his father after the boy announced his ambition to attend medical school. Each utensil in the bag was over a century old but there wasn’t a speck of rust on any of them. Their condition amazed anyone who got a look at them and knew their tale.
Jason gently pushed the front door open and exited the building slowly. The sky was under the hold of night. Sight was restricted to the pathway, illuminated by a row of lampposts.
His feet guided him along the concrete walkway. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys as he approached the parking lot. Campus was silent. No one was in sight. Even the parking lot was deserted aside from Jason’s own car.
“Excuse me,”
Jason whirled around, faced with a girl in her early twenties, about his age. Her auburn hair was in a french braid that ended at her shoulder blades. Green pupils resided in her eyes and her skin was pale but showed signs of some exposure to the sun. She was wearing a casual shirt, cargo jacket, and jeans. Most noticeably, she had a sliver cross tied around her neck.
“Jason Rich, right?” she asked in a higher than average pitched voice with small traces of a French accent.
“Can I help you?” Jason responded with caution.
“My name is Joy Autry,” she replied as she made her way over to him, “And I need something from you.”
Jason found this unsettling. He didn’t know her face or her name from the university. The fact that she waited to approach him at night on an abandoned campus didn’t ease his suspicion either.
What was most unsettling though was, after she completed her sentence, she reached into her pocket. An explosion of fear burst in Jason’s mind. He had no opportunity to react. Fortunately his body responded for him. Out of pure instinct, his arm moved into his bag. His fingers curled around his scalpel and drew it.
Only when it was about to pierce Joy’s neck did he manage to halt the attack. Jason’s expression mirrored Joy’s. Both pairs of eyes were wide open in shock. The speed at which he managed to take out the blade seemed almost supernatural.
Joy’s face shifted into a different form of fear. There was a sense of familiarity in her eyes. Her expression wasn’t so different from a criminal caught off guard by a question about the crime they committed.
She slowly took her hands out of her pockets and held them up at her sides. Even with the concern hiding on the other side of her face, she kept a stern look. Looking into her eyes though, Jason could tell that it wasn’t the scalpel she was afraid of.
“Please put it down.” she said gently.
Her words seemed to weigh down Jason’s arm. Once the blade was clear from her throat, Joy released a heavy breath. Jason still kept a firm grip on his weapon.
“Thank you.” Joy breathed. “I need to get something from my pocket, is that all right?”
Jason was hesitant. Her jacket pockets clearly weren’t big enough for a firearm but she could easily have a number of other dangerous items. If she were to try something, he had the advantage of position. Jason nodded.
Joy slowly dove her hand in her pocket. Her eyes widened. She then mirrored the action with her opposite pocket. She stopped herself from cursing.
She turned toward Jason, “I’m sorry. I left it at home. Would you mind meeting me tomorrow?”
“You must be joking,” Jason replied.
Joy was silent for a second, “There’s a restaurant on Second Street. Meet me there tomorrow at 12:30.”
“Why?”
“Listen, I’ll explain everything then.”
Jason was quiet.
“All right, I’ll wait there until 1:00. If you don’t come, you’ll never see me again.” said Joy.
With that she turned away and walked away into the night. Her words were simple and the encounter was brief but it was enough to throw Jason’s thoughts into chaos.
As he put his scalpel back in his bag, he considered her offer. It was obvious that whatever she was reaching for had something to do with it. Besides that Jason hadn’t the slightest idea what she could’ve wanted from him.
The tornado of questions only tore at Jason’s mind further the more he thought about the issue. The drive back to his apartment and the voyage to get to sleep were both painfully long. Jason was tempted to take up Joy’s invitation just for closure.
She clearly wanted to assure him that she meant no harm by holding the meeting in a public place. From their brief talk, she seemed like a trustworthy girl. But at the same time there was no reason to trust her.
He knew nothing about her. Not to mention that she approached him at night, at his school, knowing him by name. Furthermore as Jason reflected on the incident with the scalpel, he recalled that as he held the utensil at her throat, her command to withdraw it echoed in his head. It was by her words alone that he decided to put the blade down. This was indeed a difficult decision but Jason made his choice.
For the previous year and a half, Jason always looked forward to school. Each class captured his interest. In fact this obsession was often mocked. But, for the first time, he was distracted.
He constantly replayed the previous night in his head. Jason repeated both arguments to himself. There was an enormous amount of conflict between both options that seemed to be immortal. And in the center of this war, Jason was the casualty.
Even with the decision made, the typhoon of thoughts didn’t dissipate. The hours were agonizing with Jason lost in his ideas. At last his class was dismissed to lunch.
A flood of students burst out of the exit and onto the concrete courtyard. Jason followed the sidewalk away from campus, walking as fast as possible. There were only 60 minutes for lunch.
Jason walked beside the crowded street. At this point he was used to the immensely loud combination of traffic and crowds. This was the first time he was actually going out with someone else.
During all the time in the university, he had been fairly inverted. Of course his professors were familiar with him for his skill. Whenever Jason went out he merely did it for essential purposes such as food and groceries.
People had a tendency to aggravate him easily, although he was usually polite when conversation was necessary. He enjoyed his solitude. In fact his ability to stay hidden rivaled his medical ability.
Turning the corner, he noticed a series of giant scarlet letters mounted atop a building. It was the only restaurant in view. Jason waited patiently for the traffic light to grant him a safe passage across the tar.
While he waited, Jason reviewed the situation one more time. Joy seemed innocent but Jason had few facts to support that appearance. She had reason to know who he was.
Ultimately, what convinced him to meet with her was the chaos in his mind. In order to focus back on work, he needed closure. Still, Joy was an interesting individual. She managed to intrigue Jason Rich, which was more than most could accomplish. She clearly had a gift for communication and persuasion.
The burning red traffic light turned to a cool green. Each car zooming in front of him slowed to a halt. Jason rushed across the open road. He leaped upon the curb and slowed his pace again.
Hauling open the wooden door, Jason was greeted by a checkered floor with tables littered across the open room. A series of booths outlined the room. In one of them he spotted Joy with a glass of water in hand.
He walked up and sat across from her. Joy’s eyes widened at seeing him.
“You came.” she acknowledged. “I honestly didn’t expect you to show up.”
“And yet you still waited,” said Jason.
Joy smiled but didn’t respond.
As Jason set his bag next to him, she reached into her own shoulder bag beside her.
“Sorry about last night by the way,” Jason said before he could even consider processing what he was saying.
“I came up to you in the middle of the night on an empty campus,” Joy reviewed. “I could’ve planned my approach better.”
An unfamiliar wave of relief settled in Jason. Suddenly half the conflict in his mind relaxed. Was that question really one of the things that he was obsessing about for the past day?
Joy placed a small device on the table. It was simple, about the size of a flip phone. A rectangular screen was at the top of the device. What took up most space on the machine was a fingerprint scanner.
“What is it?” asked Jason.
“Put your finger on it.” she replied.
“Tell me what it is first,” Jason argued.
“If I tell you, you won’t believe me.”
“Try me,”
“Please,”
“No!”
Joy recognized their conversation was starting to grow louder. If it didn’t reach a conclusion soon they’d attract more attention than she cared to have. There were already several faces turned toward their table.
“All right but you have to promise me you’ll try the device afterwards, whether you believe me or not.” she explained.
“Fine,”
Joy took a deep breath and began.
“I’m an agent for the Lincoln Museum Institute,”
It would be a difficult task to find someone who didn’t know that name, a company that established a network of museums all over the world. They were a very successful business that impressed tourists from all over the world. Jason never visited any of them. Even if he was interested, they didn’t have any establishments anywhere nearby.
This made Joy’s claim all the more intriguing. There were few reasons the company would be interested in Jason. Use of the word “agent” was also unsettling. The girl clearly had a talent for deals, but this wasn’t a business arrangement.
“Let me ask you, did you ever wonder why we spread business around the world?” Joy continued.
An easy question.
“Profit, obviously.” Jason answered.
She shook her head, “No that’s a secondary benefit. We do it to get a hold of as many historical artifacts as we can.”
“In the long run, it’s the same thing.”
“Actually it’s not.”
Jason raised an eyebrow.
“We don’t put them on display. We give them to people like us.”
She took the device off the table and pressed her finger to the scanner. A light glowed below it. Exactly six seconds later she removed it but held onto the device.
“What do you know about the theory of reincarnation?” she asked him.
Jason looked at her with annoyance but answered the question.
“Simple, the idea people come back to life with a new body and identity with no memories of the previous life.”
“Correct. Would you believe me if I told you it were true?”
Now Jason was irritated.
“Of course not.”
Joy smirked.
“Told you. Nevertheless I’ll keep going,” she said.
Jason began to get up.
“Stay for just a bit longer.” said Joy.
His legs moved on their own. They pressed flat against the booth and he sat.
“Now what if they didn’t completely forget their previous lives?” she said, “What if some of their talents and memories were still in their subconscious.”
Jason flashed back to the first time he dissected a frog in high school. Such precision and expertise, it was like he had done it a thousand times before. He had done it better than a doctor by the time the teacher was done with her first instruction.
This implication caught Jason’s interest. Of course he still didn’t believe the part about reincarnations. Nonetheless he decided to continue listening.
“I assume you realize my talents in inspiration,” her formal tone mocking him.
Obviously, her ability to alter his decisions with her words was disturbing to him. Still though, he continued to refuse to believe her ridiculous theory.
She finally placed the device back on the table and slid it over to him. A name was displayed upon the screen. Even Jason recognized this name as he read it, “Jeanne d’Arc”.
An eighteen year old girl who led the french forces during the Hundred Years War. She was young and joined the military claiming to have a vision from God that it was her destiny. The girl was an inspiration to the soldiers and delivered hope. During one battle she was captured by the British and burned at the stake at the assumption she was a witch.
“You’re trying to tell me that you’re the reincarnation of Joan of Arc.” Jason stated, obviously annoyed.
“Reincarnation is such a mouthful, we prefer Reinnoi.” Joy responded casually.
“Right,” said Jason, rolling his eyes.
“Listen I understand if you don’t believe me and I’m more than willing to prove it to you afterward,” she said as she held the device up to him. “But first, we had a deal.”
A sigh escaped Jason’s lips. Regardless of doubts, he placed his index finger on the scanner. A light glowed beneath it. Minor heat pulsed through his nerves. This process was no different from a photocopier reading the picture it’s copying.
The second the light faded, Joy withdrew the scanner and read the screen. With surprising speed, Jason was robbed of the ability to see his result as Joy had withdrawn the device to read it herself. Her eyes extended, nearly to the point of popping out of her head. Both were suffused with horror.
She immediately shoved the device back in her bag. Next she pulled out her wallet and slammed a twenty dollar bill in on the table. Following that, Joy simply stood up and sped away without making eye contact.
Jason quickly scanned the table and discovered only two waters shared the table with the dollar bill. Knowing twenty was far beyond enough, he swiftly grabbed his bag and chased her.
This was another involuntary reaction. Despite the discomfort he felt during the meeting, he still wanted it to continue. At this point he could rule out closure as his reason for sticking with her. So for what purpose did he insist on following this girl?
By the time Jason exited she was already almost at the corner. Suddenly a white van pulled along the curb. She halted and studied the vehicle. There was a logo on the side but it was impossible to make out from his angel. Not from Joy’s though.
The moment the girl read the first word, she bolted into the alley she was crossing. Five men in identical uniforms leaped out of the car and ran after her. A sixth man with inky black hair also exited the vehicle. He was wearing tan jeans and a black trench coat. His skin was tanned, clearly he spent most of his time out doors.
This only increased Jason’s efforts. He sprinted after the group. Once entering view, he saw a hint of movement around another corner in the ally. Jason pursued them, but the moment he turned around the corner, he pressed against the wall.
Joy stood with her hands up, surrounded by the men. Two of them were flat against the ground. Both were still breathing but clearly unconscious. However the remaining three men each had a hand gun pointed at her.
The forth man, in the black trench coat, parted both sides of his coat to reveal a belt of pistols strapped across his chest. Now that Jason had a closer look, he could tell the man was in his thirties. He studied Joy closely.
“You know who we are?” he asked her in a deep voice.
“Of course, your boss was never the subtle type.” Joy replied, venom in her voice.
The man ignored her tone and simply smirked.
“Guess yours shares that problem. After all it wasn’t hard to catch wind of your little trip,” he stated. “Joy Autry.”
Joy didn’t respond.
“Joan of Arc.” the man grinned.
Jason was stunned. Had she been telling the truth or were they both crazy? Either way there was obviously a situation of a much grander scale revolving around the idea. He would have to get answers out of Joy later. For now he had to save her.
“You’re well informed, Ethan Tennent,” said Joy.
The man turned to her with a surprised look on his face.
“Or do you prefer Edward Teach?”
Yet another familiar name. Edward Teach was better known in history as Black Beard. An ex-navy officer that terrorized Europe as the most famous pirate in the world. Even with his fame though, he was killed only two years into his criminal career.
Not sure whether to roll his eyes or be afraid, Jason simply listened further while trying to think of something to do. He slowly opened his bag and withdrew his scalpel. There wasn’t much he could do with such a small blade against firearms, but maybe he could give Joy time to escape.
“Not bad,” said Ethan, “Now that we have the introductions out of the way, why don’t we get down to business?”
The man drew one of his pistols. He took the safety off and pointed it at Joy. Jason readied his scalpel and studied the distance between him and each of the men.
“Why were you sent here?” Ethan asked sternly.
Joy refused to answer.
“Information, relics...?”
Not one of his words stirred Joy’s expression. If Jason hadn’t had her in view in front of him he would’ve thought her mouth was sewn shut. He was impressed by her self control under the circumstances but Ethan’s final word managed to cause a slight shift in her face.
“Recruits?”
He noticed her reaction, even if it was slight.
“Who did you come here for?”
A futile question. As Joy stood firmly with a stern look, it was clear no one was going to get a word out of her. This was clear even to Ethan. He aimed his pistol at her head.
Now or never. Jason charged with his scalpel in hand. With surprise on his side, not one of them was able to raise their weapon in time to stop him. As he tackled Ethan however, Joy took advantage of the distraction.
She was surprisingly fast as she rammed one of the men against the wall. The impact caused him to drop his gun. He was about to fight back when Joy smashed his head against the wall with shocking force.
Both of the other men took notice of their ally too late. He collapsed to the filthy concrete. The remaining men only managed to fire off a shot when Joy was already on to the next one.
She grabbed the muzzle of his gun and delivered a rock solid fist to the side of his face. By the time the man analyzed the threat, he was already stumbling backwards. Joy took the butt of the gun and hit him across the face again.
This time the cold metal of the weapon was enough to knock all consciousness out of him. Before the third had the chance to react, Joy took the handle of the gun and squeezed the trigger back. The bullet pierced the air around it as it blasted towards it’s target. Its lead tip ripped through his skin at the the base of his knee cap.
As Joy delivered surprisingly efficient punishment to the henchmen, Jason had less luck dealing with Ethan. Jason managed to drive his scalpel into the man’s upper right arm. But as he withdrew the blade for another attack, Ethan smacked him with much more force than Jason thought a man was capable of.
He smashed to the ground. The wet concrete was less than welcoming to its new occupant. Ethan steadied his gun but before he had any chance to shoot, Joy disarmed Ethan with another shot. Following that, she tackled him before he hand the chance to grab the other one of his pistols.
As they began their battle, Jason looked around for a more efficient weapon. He noticed one of the unconscious men with a pistol lying next to him. Jason reached for the gun but then noticed something strapped to the man’s leg.
A thick bladed, 7 inch knife was sheathed just below his knee. Despite knowing the pistol was a much more effective weapon, he ignored it, his body reached out and grabbed the knife out of pure instinct. The rough texture felt cruel in his hand, yet somewhat familiar.
Ethan swung at Joy who immediately blocked his arm and kicked him backward into the brick wall. He reached for one of the guns on his belt. But before he could aim Joy grabbed his arm. She held his weapon at his rib.
“Fire!” she commanded.
Jason was absolutely shocked when he saw the flash of the gun. The lead projectile flew through the layers of skin and exited the other side. Ethan screamed in blazing agony. His fierce rage supported his fist as he smashed it into the side of Joy’s temple.
Joy crashed to the solid ground. Ethan raised his gun again. Out of instinct alone, Jason charged with his knife. This time Ethan noticed the attack and brought up his right arm. The silver blade tore into his arm.
Ethan howled in pain and was about to retaliate, but he failed to notice Jason had his scalpel in his other hand. Jason jabbed the small blade directly into the gunshot wound Joy had opened. Following that, he drew the blade across the rib, opening the wound further.
Before Ethan could use the rage manufactured by the searing pain, Jason withdrew from striking range. As he drew the knife out of his arm, the blade sliced the outer layer of his coat. This revealed a long black cloth with a white design tied around his arm.
Joy ran up and hit him again, this time with unbelievable force which threw Ethan against the wall. Ethan fired his pistol at her but the moment she saw him bring the weapon up she stepped aside. However this did open up room for Ethan to run out of the alley. During his retreat, he grabbed his other firearm off the ground.
Seeing his retreat, Jason’s muscles relaxed a little. He still stood on guard though. Jason turned to Joy. She avoided eye contact. Suddenly her head jerked upward.
“Look out,” she warned.
A firm set of fingers took a hold of Jason’s shoulder. The boy’s reaction was one he instantly regretted, or at least wanted to regret. His body acted completely on its own accord. He pressed his heel against the ground so he could whirl around.
He immediately saw one of the guards Joy has supposedly incapacitated. His fingers curled tightly around the knife. With no though or will behind this action, he raised the blade at blinding speed and ripped a deep chasm into the man’s throat.
Only after the blood started leaking out did Jason fully process the situation. His face distorted into a look of pure horror. In his realization, he released the knife which clattered on the concrete.
It wasn’t only the realization of his brutality that paralyzed him. What was most concerning was how familiar it felt. There was no hesitation or remorse in that slash. And the feeling of committing the act felt as casual as walking.
Just as he began searching through his thoughts, Joy’s words came back to him.
“What if some of talents and memories were still in their subconscious?” the words echoed.
It seemed impossible. No it was impossible. Or at least Jason wanted to think it was impossible. The visual of Joy’s expression of terror after reading the name of her device reappeared.
If there was a small possibility, Jason had to know. He turned back toward Joy just in time to see her turn the corner further into the alley way. Without thinking, Jason grabbed his scalpel and medical bag and chased after her.
Despite merely walking, Joy displayed impressive speed as she evaded him. Still, it wasn’t enough to escape Jason. He followed her with persistence.
The corridors of the alley were damp and wet. It was a winding maze that Joy used to her advantage. Jason called after her. Each attempt echoed off the walls surrounding them. Even so she pretended to be oblivious to his pursuit.
She turned another corner and a heavily populated street came into view. Jason knew that, if she managed to get into the crowd, he would never find her again. She was too far away to catch up to by foot. In one last desperate attempt he allowed his subconscious to speak for him.
“Jeanne!” he cried.
Joy reluctantly froze in place. She released a sigh of hesitation or perhaps annoyance. Jason avoided getting too close in fear of scaring her off again. The girl didn’t move. She didn’t even turn around.
Once again Jason’s primal thoughts spoke for themselves, “Just, tell me who I am.”
She was still. The time it took for her to respond to him was torturous. Finally, she slowly reached into her bag. She pulled out the device. Joy hesitantly turned around to face Jason.
Her face was cold and stern. With no hint of emotion she tossed the device toward her pursuer. He caught it with little effort and placed his finger on the scanner.
The light pressed against his skin again with a small flush of heat. Letters fluttered across the screen. As a result of reading them, Jason dropped to his knees. The machine’s response made so much sense it was soul destroying.
Joy watched with an unrelenting face as Jason collapsed. The device fell beside him. He had just aided in fending off armed men but it was these words that succeeded in bringing him to his knees.
“Jack the Ripper.”
