The Sleuth's Apprentice

The Sleuth's Apprentice - Part 13 of 17

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The Sleuth's Apprentice - Part 13 of 17

Superboy, Superman, Batman and Robin are Copyrighted and owned by DC Comics.

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When Jamie and Robin had arrived back at the Batcave, they met up with Bruce Wayne, who was reading the newspaper and following up on the news reports surrounding the ongoing case that the two junior sleuths were handling. The boys first changed into their regular clothes, before they joined Bruce in the living room of Wayne Manor.

'You'll need to find out what Wancho's doing to all these kids, who are disappearing when they get jobs at his businesses. I don't think it can be anything good!' Bruce said seriously. 'You will need to get in the camp and follow what is going on, but you must be very careful because it will be like walking in to the lion's den!'

'How about the two of us go undercover?' Dick asked Bruce. 'We can assume our normal identities, like the way we look right now, and we can get jobs at his stores!'

'Yes! Well, you might want to get jobs at two separate stores. The one who gets pulled in to the camp first, goes in but not without warning the other!' the elder sleuth suggested.

'How about this: I get a job at the grocery store, while you get a job at the gas station?' Jamie wondered, as he looked at Dick.

'I think you'll have more luck than me.' Dick replied. 'The younger kids are the first ones to disappear. Not only that, but you have to look like you're from a simple family, living in a poor neighborhood. The simpler you're dressed, the more likely you'll be taken, because it seems like he's going after kids who are desperate for money or wealth!'

'I can wear old shorts and an old t-shirt to work!' Jamie cheered. 'That way, nobody will suspect who I am!'

'I think Jamie should go in, because of his super hearing and his x-ray vision' Bruce pointed out. 'He can pick up on things, using his powers. In the meantime, you'll just stay here and monitor Jamie's progress!' Bruce added.

'Awesome! So, when do we start?' Dick asked.

'Tomorrow!' Jamie replied excitedly. 'I'll apply for a job at the grocery store, and I'll start there as soon as they take me!'

The three men walked to the dining table, where Alfred served them spaghetti with vegetables for dinner. They ate a good meal, for they knew that the next few days would be very important to them. They needed to find out what Wancho's master scheme was so they could know how to stop him. They also needed to find out where the kids were disappearing to, in particular, Jonah, who was Jonathan's little brother.

Jamie couldn't help but think about the boy, and he was more determined than ever to really go in to get as much information as possible. He knew that the workers at the grocery store would eventually lure him in, thanks to the information that Jonathan had provided to them a few days earlier. They knew that Wancho was working for young, strong kids, who were loyal and serious, and who would make good workers and great soldiers in his 'army'.

'You're going to enlist in Wancho's secret army, Jamie!' Dick said to him.

'What if they find out who I am?' the super kid wondered.

'Well, don't tell them that your name is Jamie, when you get admitted. Use another name, and I'll sign a parental consent form allowing you to be employed with them after they accept you, which I think they will!' Bruce answered. 'At first, you want to remain in the background. After a few days, you may want to open up a little more, so that you can become good friends with the kids who are sent over to the camp in Arizona. I hope they'll send you there as well. Once you're there, you need to find out where all the kids are staying and what they're doing. Lastly, you need to find out what they're doing with all the stolen cash and jewelry, for that stuff needs to be returned once Wancho gets captured and his operation is closed down.'

'Okay'' Jamie sighed. 'I think I can do that!'

'Just be yourself, Jamie, and you'll be alright!' Dick chuckled.

The very next day, around 9 o'clock in the morning, Jamie walked in to the grocery store, which was next to the gas station, where Jonathan and Jonah had taken jobs a few weeks earlier. He filled out an application, and then he talked to a young man named John, who was the manager. After a short meeting, John came out of his office, and told Jamie that he had been hired. Lastly, Jamie didn't apply using the name Jamie, but he used his middle name, which was Alex.

'Can you start today?' John asked Jamie, who now was known as Alex.

'Sure!' Jamie shrugged, since he was there to work and he had nothing else to do, but work on this case together with Robin.

Since Jamie was the bagboy at the grocery store, his job was to mop the floor in the store, to make sure the glass windows were all clean, and to collect the grocery carts that were left by the customers on the parking lot. People left the carts where the cars were parked, and Jamie would push all the carts together, since one cart would easily slide into another, since they were wider in the back than they were in the front of the cart. Lastly, Jamie was required to bag the groceries that the customers had purchased, after they had gone through the cash register and they had paid for them. Jamie would place all the purchased items in plastic bags, before he places these items in the cart, which he pushed to the customer's car.

Jamie worked very hard during the first day. Using some of his powers, he collected all the carts, which were scattered around the lot, and he stored them neatly at the cart station, which was located just by the entrance to the store. When it had gotten late at night, and there were no customers in the store, he would mop the entire floor as fast as he could, without using too much super speed. Lastly, he would bag the customer's groceries faster than any of the other bagboys, which was to the delight of the management!

After the third day, Jack, one of the managers, came up to Jamie. He pulled him aside and told him that he thought that Jamie was a very good employee, who was punctual, courteous, and strong. Whenever he inspected the parking lot outside, he noticed that all the carts were neatly collected and pushed into the cart station inside of the building. Jamie was able to push over 50 carts with just one hand, thanks to his super strength!

On the fourth day, he gave Jamie an envelope filled with over two-hundred Dollars in cash, and he said that it was a bonus for his good work. Jack had already informed the people at the camp that he had a new kid who was a good worker, and he got the approval to recruit Jamie into Wancho's secret army, which owned a training camp called Camp Charlie, and was located outside of Nogales, Arizona.

After the fifth day of working at the store, Jack tapped Jamie on the shoulder, and he invited him to come and talk to him in his office.

'I've noticed that you're a good worker and you're always on time' Jack started out. 'I guess you must be working so you can help out your family, huh?'

Jamie was instructed to act like a poor kid. He always came to work wearing an old pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. His shirt had a color picture of a skateboard on it, but the colors had been faded because the shirt was so old.

'Yeah' I just want to help out as much as I can'' Jamie replied sadly. 'My family isn't very rich, and I want to work so that I can help make ends meet''

'Well, I have a job offer for you, but you'll need to go out of town so you can receive proper training for it' Are you interested?'

Jamie's eyes lit up, when he heard Jack's words.

'Sure' I guess so''

'I can offer something where you'll join a few hundred other young kids, who have come to Camp Charlie to learn the ropes of running a small town, which our big boss owns' You'd be guaranteed a job and a place to say. Are you still interested?'

'Yes''

'Here is a form, which you need to have your parents sign. The grocery store will send you to Camp Charlie, where you'll live and study, until you're old enough to start working full time for Master Wancho! Would you like to apply?'

'Yes!' Jamie answered convincingly and right away. 'I want to try that!'

'Here's the form. Bring it back tomorrow''

Jack handed Jamie a sheet of paper, which he folded and placed in his pocket. He took it home, where he showed it to Bruce and Dick. Bruce signed it, and he assured Jamie not to worry and that they were going to track his every move when he was at the camp.

On the fifth day of work at the store, Jamie arrived and immediately went to work. He collected all the carts and pushed the row of 50 carts to the station, using just one hand. Then he grabbed a bucket and a broom, and he mopped the entire floor of the grocery store, without stopping or taking a break. The boy just wouldn't get tired, and he continued to do his job non-stop. Finally, he walked up to one of the cash registers, and started bagging groceries of the customers who were standing there and who had paid for their groceries. Jamie would often help multiple cashiers, because he did the job better and faster than the other kids, who worked there.

When it had gotten quiet in the store once again, Jack had walked up to Jamie, and he asked him for the form with the signature. After Jamie had handed the form to him, Jack ordered Jamie to go to the waiting room, which was at the back of the store, to wait for the shuttle bus to pick him up.

When the bus finally arrived, the driver asked Jamie to get on. Jamie was only wearing t-shirt, a pair of shorts, tennis shoes, socks, and he had some extra clothes in his soft bag. Furthermore, he only packed his tooth brush, hair brush and some tooth paste. He didn't need anything else.

The bus drove off, with only Jamie and the bus driver on the bus. Jamie thought it was ironic that he had to ride the bus to the airport all by himself, while he could have easily flown to the airport in a matter of seconds, since he was Superboy. But, he wasn't ready to reveal his secret identity to the people yet, but he knew, that it would be hard to keep it secret once he arrived at the camp.

After a short drive to the airport, Jamie was escorted to the terminal by the bus driver. They had never left him alone, either, and there was always somebody escorting Jamie to his final destination, which they didn't tell him where it was exactly. Using his super hearing, Jamie was able to figure out from the several soft whispers and conversations, that he was being taken to a plane, which was to fly him to southern Arizona.

Once he was airborne, he decided to take a nap. Jamie dozed off and fell asleep on board of the small jet, as it flew him to the small border city in Arizona. Once he got there, they escorted him off the plane, and they let him take another bus ride, which took him to a secret community in the middle of the desert, which was called Camp Charlie.

When Jamie finally walked into the camp, he noted that it was like a small city, with a large round surrounding it. It was more of a military base than a prison, with long, narrow buildings which were placed side by side. Those were the barracks, where the kids would stay and sleep at night. Furthermore, there was a school, a recreation center, and a small shopping mall. There was also a gymnasium, and several small restaurants. The entire city was one enclosed community, and Jamie had now become one of the residents of the secret community of Wancho loyalists.

When Jamie was assigned to his barracks, he was going to bunk with another boy, named Jason. Jason was tall and skinny, and he was very good with computers. The two boys immediately became friends, which was Jamie's immediate goal. He needed to become friends with all the guys who were there, so that he would know who to talk to, once it was time to start his investigation.

When Jamie originally registered upon entry, he took the name of Alex, which was the English translation of his middle name, which was Alejandro. So, the boys actually were introduced to Alex, but Jamie knew that he would eventually have to tell them who he really was, in order for the boys to believe him.

When Jamie was shown the cafeteria, he was introduced to many of the other kids of his own age, who were there. Jason introduced him one by one. Everyone seemed to like Jamie at first.

Then, when the boys were taken to their first gym class, they were asked to hold several races on the track, just to see who could run the fastest.

Jamie won every single race he participated in, easily beating all the opponents and running every race much faster than any of the other boys on the team. All the boys thought Jamie was the coolest kid, except for one, who had been the top dog, until now.

After the race was over and all the boys came to congratulate him, one boy came over, and had an angry look on his face. His name was Steve.

Steve was a tall boy, with black hair, and a muscular build. He was strong and athletic, and he had become the unofficial champion of just about every single sport at the camp. This ended, however, when Jamie had joined the group, and Steve was slowly becoming jealous of the muscular and athletic kid, who just showed up out of nowhere, and started winning all the competitions.

'Hey, are you Alex?' Steve sneered, as he walked up to Jamie.

'Yeah' Why?'

'I'm Steve. I'm the captain of the football team, the basketball team, and the track team'' he said in a threatening tone of voice. 'You're pretty good. Just, don't try to become all too popular around here, okay?'

Jamie tried not to pay any attention to him, and he just smiled in reply. He knew that it was better to stay quiet and not to say anything yet. Steve was a bully, and Jamie could tell what his intentions were. But, the time wasn't right for Jamie to start a fight, since it was only his very first day at the camp. So, he concluded that he would just go with the flow, and stay quiet, until he had the chance to get more information about the camp.

Later that afternoon, the boys got together in the gym, where they played a small pick-up game of basketball. Jamie made all his shots, once again, and he was the best player on the court. Not only was his shooting percentage perfect, but he passed the ball to the players, when they indicated that they were open for a shot at the basketball hoop. This made Jamie into a very popular and liked player, which angered Steve even more.

At the end of the game, with the score tied, Jamie was standing near the center line. Steve knew that Jamie was starting to become popular, and he was looking for something, which would make Jamie look bad, in the eyes of the other players. Just as the time on the clock was about to run out, Steve had passed the ball to Jamie, and he told him to try to make a basket from far away, knowing that it was a nearly impossible feat to accomplish. Jamie, thanks to his super powers, was able to launch the ball from the center line of the court, and the ball traveled towards the hoop at a very high arc, before it finally passed through the hoop without even touching the rim. The shot was perfect and the team that Jamie was on, had scored the extra points, handing them the victory of the basketball game!

All the kids ran up to Jamie and they congratulated him once again. Jamie was only there for one day, and he was slowly becoming extremely popular around Camp Charlie.

When all the boys had walked into the locker room to change, Steve walked up to Jason, who was Jamie's roommate.

'Who is that kid?' Steve asked him.

'I don't know! All I know is that his name is Alex, and he came from Gotham City. He's been working there for only a week, before they invited him to come here. Everybody is saying good things about him, and it seems like he's really good at just about everything he does! I'm his roommate!' Jason cheered.

'Still, there is something really fishy about him'' Steve said to Jason. 'He's faster than everyone, he plays basketball like a pro, and everybody seems to like him. He's just too perfect; do you know what I mean?'

'He's athletic, too! Just look at him! He's as hard as a rock! He's all muscle!' Jason pointed out.

'That's what I mean. Look at him. He's almost too strong and too fast to be a normal kid! I need you to find out for me, who he really is, okay?' Steve whispered to him.

'Alright, I'll start asking questions, just to see who he is. But, so far, he's been wonderful! He's good at every sport!'

'That's what I can't understand' No kid can always be good at everything! There is something strange about Alex, and I want you to find out what that is!'

The boys returned to the barracks, where they were able to watch TV before they went to bed. The counselor came by the room, and he informed the boys that they were to have a special assembly in the morning, and that Wancho was to come over and to address the group in person.

The following morning, all the boys were instructed to wear their uniforms. They were dressed up in uniforms which were similar to those, which were worn by Boy Scouts. They wore khaki shorts and a khaki button shirt, with the letter 'W' sewn on the sleeves. They had on tennis shoes and white socks, and they all looked alike.

When the assembly was called to order, in the main lounge area of the camp grounds, the chief counselor came on the stage first. He read off some announcements, before he introduced their fearless leader, William Wancho!

When Wancho got up on the stage, he was wearing his suit and tie. All the kids stood up and applauded for him, before he waved at them and signaled for them to sit down in their seats.

'Greetings, Wancho Warriors! How is everyone doing today?'

Several kids cheered out loud in reply.

'I've decided to come over here and to spur you on to work, to learn, and to train, so that you may grow and become part of the greatest community of young soldiers in the world!' Wancho shouted at the audience. 'You are the future of this country! You are part of the next generation of officers, managers, soldiers, drivers, mayors, commanders, programmers, officials, and business owners of tomorrow! And, it is my job, to make sure that you will all be the greatest person you can be!'

Many of them cheered out loud, causing Wancho to pause for a moment. Then, he continued speaking in a low but serious tone of voice.

'For decades, the wealthy, the powerful, and the fortunate people in this country have been hoarding all the financial resources from the poor. They owned and controlled all the oil refineries and gas stations. They owned all the utilities and factories. They managed all the businesses and offices while your parents and your grandparents always had to struggle to make ends meet on a daily basis' he continued, while talking through the microphone. 'It is my job to take some of the money, which used to belong to your forefathers, and to give it back to you! That's why, I don't expect you to pay for anything in money, however; you pay with your loyalty to me!'

There was a mumbling going through the crowd. Jamie was sitting near the back row. He decided to pay attention and to stay quiet, hoping that he could learn as much as possible about the camp and about Wancho's plans. He knew that he had to do some looking around as well, in order to find out where the stolen money and jewelry was being kept.

'I am providing you with the money that you'll need later on in life, as long as you dedicate your complete loyalty to me. Together, we will build this city, and you will run it for me. Next, we will buy all the oil refineries and gas stations and distribution channels in the south. You will be placed in control of these, meaning that we will control the distribution of fuel throughout the south. Once we have attained that, we will be in control of the economy!'

Many of the kids were staring at each other. They were all wondering what kind of job they would have in the near future, thanks to Wancho.

'The country only had to offer you a little bit of money to live on, a small house or apartment, a mediocre job where you earn minimum wage, and perhaps a used car to drive, if not, then a bus pass to use the public transportation. That doesn't sound like a great life to live, to me! Who wants to live a better life than that?'

All the kids in the auditorium began to cheer.

'I will guarantee you some sort of job or leadership position. You will earn great money and you will be part of my community. You'll own a house and a car. You'll never be short in cash, because we have tons and tons of cash in reserves in our bank, together with the finest collection of jewelry on the planet! I will promise you a bright future and I will take care of you for the rest of your life! Now, are you all with me?'

Again, many kids began to shout back at him.

'Wancho! Wancho! Wancho! Wancho!' many of them shouted.

'Now, I'm beginning to understand this'' Jamie whispered to himself. 'This is all about money''

After the assembly was over, several of the kids in Jamie's group were invited to play a softball game, on the dirt field which was located behind the recreation center.

During one of the innings, Jamie was covering the outfield, while he was standing there, wearing a baseball cap and glove on his hand. When one of the boys on the opposing team hit a run, the ball was heading towards the outside fence. Jamie was standing right below the trajectory of the ball, holding up his glove.

When Jamie noticed that the ball was going to be out of his reach, he suddenly leaped into the air, and caught the ball from a height of almost twelve feet!

All the kids were amazed when they saw how high he was able to leap straight into the air, and they noted that it was another one of those things about him, which had made him seem so unusual to all the other boys, and Steve and Jason in particular.

A few innings later, Jamie finally had his first opportunity at bat. He made a hit on the first pitch, slamming the ball out of the ballpark and enjoying his first home run of the game! Again, Jamie was the big hero on the softball field, which added to the frustration that Steve was feeling about this incredible super-kid.

'What have you found out about Alex so far?' Steve asked Jason.

'Nothing yet' I haven't had any time to talk to him at all! We've been too busy!' the boy explained to him.

'Well, get on it! I want you to find out anything you can about him!'

That afternoon, the boys were given some free time before dinner, and both of them finally ended up at the barracks at the same time. Jason then came over to where Jamie was sitting, at the desk which was next to his bed. Jamie was drinking a soda, while he was watching TV from the chair that he was sitting on.

'So' How do you like it here so far, Alex?' Jason asked him.

'Oh, it's pretty cool! I like the sports part of it. That makes it seem like going to summer camp. I'm not so sure I agree with the things that Wancho talks about, though''

'I can tell that you're enjoying the sports! You're very good at just about everything you do! Why is that?'

'Oh' I'm just lucky that I was born with great strength'' Jamie chuckled, as he took another sip from the straw.

'Well, you jumped really high during the softball game! I was amazed! And you hit a home run at your very first turn at bat! You didn't even warm up! How is that possible?' Jason wondered.

Jamie just returned a smile on his face.

'Like, I said: I'm very strong!'

'Oh come on'' Jason pried. 'What is your secret? You must be on something!'

'No! I can't tell you what my secret it, but I can assure of this: I'm not taking any drugs or anything like that!' Jamie replied seriously.

'Well, my brother recently met a kid, who was really strong as well'' Jason said softly. 'I just talked to him the other day. He's in Valery.'

Jamie gasped when he heard the name of the town where he had just come from.

'Oh, really?'

'Yeah. My brother's name is Jonathan. He was being chased by a bunch of thugs, who were following him from the grocery store, where the both of us worked, before I left Valery' Jason explained. 'When he was about to get beaten up, Robin and Superboy suddenly came out of nowhere, and they wiped out the thugs!'

'I know Jonathan!' Jamie replied excitedly. 'I worked for the grocery store for one week, before they sent me here! But, I thought Jonathan's brother's name was Jonah''

'Well, let me tell you a secret: My first name is Jonah, but my middle name is Jason' I'm Jonathan's little brother!'

Jamie stared at him in shock! His roommate was Jonathan's lost little brother!

'Wow! What a coincidence! That is incredible!' he said excitedly.

'Yeah. I've been here for over a month now, and I love it here! I want to make a lot of money! I want to become rich, and Wancho will help me become rich over the years that I'll serve him!'

Jamie stared at him in shock.

'I don't know if I can agree with that' I think Wancho is nothing but a crook!'

'What! How can you say that, Alex?'

'Look' I've seen what Wancho's men have done.' Jamie explained to the boy. 'His men are bus drivers, who create this fake black cloud at their chemical plant. They tell everyone in the city, that a hurricane is coming. After all the people panic and then evacuate, the bus drivers then rob the city clean! They love to attack banks and jewelry stores, in particular!'

'I don't believe it' You're lying!'

'Surely not!' Jamie argued. 'Wancho owns all the grocery stores and gas stations, including the chemical plant where the cloud comes from. He also controls the radio and the TV stations around town, so it's easy for him to fool everyone!'

'How can you talk that way about him? You're ungrateful!' Jason shouted. 'Wancho will make me rich!'

'No, he won't!' Jamie fought back. 'He'll show you some money and jewelry that was stolen from some bank or some jewelry store somewhere! Then, he'll pump you full of drugs and alcohol, so that you'll continue to work for him until the day you die! You've got to get out of you! All of you do! Wancho is a crook!'

'How can you prove this?'

'I've seen it! I've been to his chemical plant and I've seen his men during the robberies!'

Jason just stared at him and frowned for a moment.

'Are you a police officer? Do you work for the police?'

'No! I'm not working for the police''

'What's your secret? How do you know these things? Who are you?'

'Look, I'll tell you later' Jamie sighed. 'I just need to get you guys out of here!'

'I don't want to leave!' Jason shouted back. 'I like it here!'

'You'll die here!'

'Wancho is the only person, who has ever given us a chance! My family has always been poor. My dad died and my mom has to work two jobs, and my brother has to work at the grocery store, just to make ends meet! He can't even go to college, because he can't afford it! It's just not fair! I'm staying here because I want to become rich!'

'Look, Jason'' Jamie said, as he stood up and walked over to him. 'Being rich doesn't solve all your problems. Having a lot of money really won't make you happy! Especially, if the money is stolen! Some day, the police will come here, and take everything away!'

'No! It's my money!'

'Jason! All the money has been stolen! Wancho is a crook!'

'Well, Wancho is going to make me rich and I like that!'

'You'll be miserable. After he makes you steal from jewelry stores and banks, you'll be spending the rest of your life in jail!'

'I don't believe you, Alex' Or, whatever your name is' You're a spy or a traitor' or both!'

'Well, I would rather be poor and happy, instead of rich and miserable! If I want a lot of money, then I'll have to earn it by working hard for it! I'm not going to make myself rich off of money that has been stolen from other people! It's illegal! Think about it''

'Who are you? Prove it!' Jason shouted back.

'I-I'll tell you tomorrow, okay?' Jamie sighed. He crawled in bed, and closed his eyes. He wasn't happy about the argument he had just had with Jason, and he wondered about how he could convince Jason that what he was doing, was wrong.

The following morning, the kids got up and met at the assembly hall, for the daily pep talk. One of the counselors had gotten on stage, and he mainly talked about saving and spending money. During the talk, Steve had tapped on Jason's shoulder, and he asked him to follow him to one of the empty conference rooms inside of the main building, located in the heart of Camp Charlie.

'So, have you found out anything new from Alex?' he asked Jason.

'Well, he definitely has some secrets. He's not telling us everything, but he promised me that he was going to tell me more tonight. First, we're going to be together on the same soccer team. After that, we'll just be in the lounge or in the barracks.'

'Good' is there anything else?'

'He said that the money that Wancho was giving us has been stolen from banks and jewelry stores. Is that true?'

Steve stared it him in shock.

'You're not supposed to know that! How does he know that?' Steve shouted back.

'Is it true?'

'No! Who does Alex think he is? He's a troublemaker! We need to keep an eye out for him' We need to get rid of him'' Steve said angrily. 'I don't want him talking to anybody else but you. Is that clear?'

'So, it's true! All the money we have, has been stolen from somewhere?'

'No! Forget that I said that!' Steve shouted back. 'I want you to find out who this Alex kid really is, and why he's here and what he wants. I want to know why he's telling you these things. We need to get rid of him! I didn't like it, from the first day he walked in here.'

'Well, we can't touch him! He's very strong! Have you seen how muscular he is?'

'I find that strange as well! There is something weird about Alex, and I want you to find out for me who he is and what his intentions are! I don't trust him. Besides, I want to get rid of him. He's becoming too popular, and if he's telling you these things, I'm afraid he'll start talking to the other guys, and then we'll have a revolt on our hands! He's stirring up trouble, and I want him stopped!'

Jason let out a deep sigh.

'Okay, I'll prod him some more and I'll try to find out who he is''

Steve then turned away to walk out of the room. Before he opened the door, he turned to face Jason one more time.

'I want you to become his best friend. Make him trust you, and find out how we can get rid of him. If that doesn't work, then I'll need to get rid of him myself!'

'How are you going to do that?'

'If I can't make Alex leave Camp Charlie, then I'll have to kill him''

Steve then walked out the door, leaving Jason there alone. Somehow, Jason had started to become good friends with Jamie, and the thought of him helping Steve in a way, which could lead to Alex getting killed, was making him sick to his stomach. But, he didn't know what else to do, so he decided just to play along for now.