TM vs MiB - Chapter 2, Part 2

Before 2 July 1997, James Darrel Edwards III made a name for himself as one of the best of the New York Police Department (NYPD).  Only in his early 30s, he regularly frequented Gold's Gym to stay physically fit and was known to rundown perpetrators on foot, much to the embarrassment and jealousy of his older peers.  He also had a keen perception and intuition, which served him well on the street to identify suspects and locate evidence in his cases.

However, Edwards's superiors refused to promote him due to his severe problems with authority, cracking wise and often arguing with his captain, to say nothing of his fellow officers.  The department's counselors expected the root of the issue arose from his childhood.  His father, Col. James Darrel Edwards II, had been assigned to the military detail of the historic Apollo 11 launch, but had been murdered on a nearby beach where he was to watch the launch with his son.  Being only four years old at the time, James was sent to live with his maternal aunt in Los Angeles, against the wishes of his father's family in Philadelphia.  The ensuing custody conflict, and James's own heroic ideal of his father, hammered a wedge between the young man and his uncle.  That split seemed to extend to most other authority figures, eventually leading to James moving to New York, not far from his cousins in Pennsylvania.

The murder of Col. Edwards remained unsolved and drove his son to become a police officer, to solve mysteries like this one and bring other families some closure.

Late in the evening of 2 July, James found himself dazed and disoriented, his muscles aching a bit like he had been for a long run.  He recognized his location as a Chinese restaurant run by a rather odd man named Wu, not far from a local fence named Jack Jeebs.  Across from the young man sat an older gentleman, likely in his early 50s, dressed in a formal black suit.  While a sense of déjà vu washed over James, his mind refused to yield any answers about the man opposite him.  However, Agent K, as the officer would come to know him, gave him a card that would irrevocably shift his life’s trajectory.  The card lead him to 504 Battery Drive, where James was tested and soon inducted into the Men in Black agency as “Agent J”.

Shortly afterward, Jay was partnered with Kay and came to investigate the assassination of Gentle Rosenberg, setting them against the insectoid killer and involving the uninitiated Dr. Laurel Weaver.  Over the course of two days, Jay and Kay successfully tracked the bug and cornered him, preventing him from escaping with the Galaxy, a miniature celestial system in Rosenberg's care.  Admittedly, Laurel actually saved them by killing the bug with one final shot from Jay's weapon.

After returning to headquarters at Battery Park, the neophyte agent worried that his partner would erase the good doctor’s memory of the night’s events.  The elder operative drew from his pocket a silver, pen-like device, a standard issue neuralizer.  It had the capability to isolate memory engrams and lock them from conscious recall, effectively erasing them.  In a flash, all memory of the target person's encounter with the Men in Black and any extraterrestrial would become like a half-forgotten dream.

However, Kay instructed Jay in its use not on Laurel Weaver, but himself.  He had never been training a partner, but rather a replacement.  He had a lifetime of memories that he no longer wanted, and a love he had lost to keep the planet safe.  With one last nod, Kay readied himself while Jay sadly donned his black sunglasses, to protect his own eyes from the neuralizer's effect.  On principle, the former policeman hated the idea of tampering with someone's memory.  However, to do this to another agent, his mentor, his friend, made him hate this necessary evil all the more.

Yet, Kay welcomed it with a smile.  “See you around, Jay.”

Raising the neuralizer, Jay resigned himself to this grim task.

“No.  You won't.”

In a flash, all of Kay's time with MiB was locked away in his head, stunning him into a malleable stupor.  In this state, a suggestion would be enough to ignite his imagination to fill the void left by the missing memories.  Considering Kay had served MiB since its inception, many questions would need to be answered.  However, Jay had an answer for one of them.

“You've been in a coma for about 35 years,” the new agent fabricated.  “You missed your date with Elizabeth, and she's still waiting for you.”

In about a minute, the dazed effect faded, and Jay's mentor glared at him quizzically for a moment before wandering into the dark of the night without another word.  Somberly, Jay removed his sunglasses and sighed heavily.  In a way, he had just killed one of the first members of this covert organization, and that weight bore upon his shoulders.

The next couple of hours were a blur of business.  Shortly after Kay's departure, Zed exited the headquarters' facade with one of his aides, Agent O.  While Oh escorted Laurel back to her apartment, likely to be neuralized like Kay, Jay followed Zed back into the main complex.  Admittedly, the young man did attempt to protest, hoping to spare Laurel her memories of tonight, but the chief would have nothing of it.

Once at Zed's office, Jay met a finely dressed gentleman, rather ordinary considering the talking dogs and giant insects he has seen already today.  However, the man's face hissed and swung open like a door, revealing a minute alien hominid riding within the gentleman's head.  The body itself was merely a vehicle, controlled by the many levers and pedals surrounding its small pilot.  Jay had briefly met an Arquillian like this one before, Rosenberg as he lay dying from the bug's sting.

The former NYPD officer finished his mission by handing over the silver fob containing the Galaxy to this Arquillian representative.  Naturally, the small man thanked Jay for his heroism, as well as apologized for the threat of planetary annihilation.  Irate about the global threat, as well as upset over Kay's departure, Jay opened his mouth to unleash his anger on this diplomat, but thankfully for all involved, Zed interjected and kept the remaining minutes of the meeting civil.

After the Arquillian departed back to his planet with the Galaxy in tow, Zed turned to Jay and began, “Kid, I get that you're upset over Kay, but we don't need an interplanetary incident because of it.”

“Then, how the hell am I supposed to feel, Zed?!” the new agent retorted.  “No one told me that I was going to replace Kay!  I basically killed him today, the guy who not only recruited me, but also trained me!”

“You didn't kill him, sport.  You retired him.  You freed him of having to remember all the real threats that necessitate MiB's existence.  He can enjoy a normal life, not worrying about the monsters hanging over our heads everyday.”

“And, he's just supposed to go back to his life, after 35 years?  He was a teenager on that dirt road, Zed!  How can you go from being a teenager to a 50-year-old man?”

“He'll manage.  He's dealt with far worse in his career here, and we have counselors in place to help him rehabilitate to civilian life.  Like I said, it's all been arranged.”

“And, what about Laurel?”

With a heavy sigh, Zed folded his arms and rebuked, “You should worry more about yourself, son.  You've been up for nearly 48 hours, and I'd rather you not have a psychotic episode in my office.  I'm putting you off-duty to rest, as well as come to terms with Kay leaving.”

The realization hit Jay the moment the words left Zed's mouth.  The adrenaline of the battle with the bug had only started to subside, sustained by the suddenness of Kay's retirement.  Now, the aches and tiredness of the past two days finally weighed on his eyes, despite his vehement desire to argue with Zed.

“Take some time and get your head straight,” the chief reiterated.

Ultimately, Jay conceded.  As the dawn sun began to crest over the waters of New York Harbor, the young man found himself on the same bench where Kay offered him this job, his job.  Thoughtfully, he examined the neuralizer inherited from his mentor, remembering the people upon which the veteran had used this device.  Each had been briefly reflected in its silvery finish before having chunks of their memory locked away by it, Laurel included.

Maybe me too, Jay thought, at some point.  Hell, maybe even everyone in town.

However, he considered how those people might react if they kept their memories, knowing that a monstrous creature like the bug could be hiding beneath the skin of anyone.  Some people would become paranoid, even insane, with knowledge like that.  As Officer Edwards, he had seen a few fellow cops crack, seeing everyone on the street as a perpetrator.  Those policemen eventually received counseling, or were outright discharged in some cases.  Truthfully, Kay was right.

For the moment anyway, the new agent qualified.

Then, there was Kay.  Despite the rebellious attitude Jay gave his mentor, the trainee did respect the veteran.  He seemed unflappable, stoic, knowledgeable about nearly every situation he handled.  The man appeared invincible, regardless of his age, and part of Jay had hoped to learn more from him.  The two had a chemistry, the older's aloofness contrasting to the younger's sarcasm, and Jay already missed picking at Kay, as well as the sharp retorts that came in return.

So now what? he asked himself.

For now, Zed was right.  The office had arranged for Jay's belongings to be moved to a new apartment not far from Battery Park, his new covert home.  Soon, he would head there and sleep off this first case, but he wanted to sit at this bench one more time, to think, to remember.

As he pocketed the neuralizer, Jay whispered, “See you around, Kay.”