Chapter Text
Dr. Justin Saunders bypassed his desk in favor of the dubious comfort of the old battered recliner a private had dragged into his office for him. He placed his coffee cup on the side table and opened the book a colleague sent him after the debacle of his misdiagnosis of Sergeant Alvarez. He shuddered when he realized just how close the new Sentinel had come to death. If Corporal Jensen had not been there, right at hand and a latent Guide to boot, he had no doubt they would have lost the sniper to madness and a fatal zone. As it was the partnership was on shaky ground with neither of the pair wildly enthusiastic about being tied together for life. Not that they had much choice, once the Bond had set in it was too late for either of them. Still he felt some hope for the two vastly different men. If they hadn’t been compatible on some level the Bond would never have taken in the first place and Sgt. Alvarez would be dead. Justin sighed and opened the book to the first of the bookmarks....
* O *
~ Excerpts from A Study of Sentinels and Guides in Modern Society by Dr. Blair Sandburg
“A Sentinel is chosen because of a genetic advantage: a sensory awareness that can be developed beyond normal humans.” ~ Sir Richard Burton, personal journal-1849
Justin rolled his eyes. While neither genetics nor Sentinel medicine were his field of study, it didn’t even take a first year med student to tell you that much. Hell, this was something you learned back in grade school.
***
In the mid 1800’s Sir Richard Burton revealed to the world the existence of Sentinels and their companions, which came to be known as Guides. In the first half of the 20th century The Bureau of Sentinel-Guide Affairs was formed with the mission to identify and train Sentinels and Guides. Most are identified in childhood and attend special schools to learn how to control and utilize their abilities. These individuals are partnered with a specifically picked guide from the time they are brought into the program, in the hopes that the Bond will form resulting in a stable working partnership.
Justin still remembered the Sentinel and Guide who came and spoke at his school before the 5th grade children were tested to see if they presented either as Sentinels or Guides. That year there had only been two and he was not one of them. He flushed to remember how disappointed he had been, although his parents had seemed relieved. Now as an adult he was glad he was normal, especially in light of what Sgt. Alvarez had gone through. Turning his attention back to the book, he flipped to the next bookmark.
***
The majority of Sentinel/ Guide pairs go into the military, law enforcement or some kind of field work such as Search and Rescue. A few stay with the Bureau and teach the next generation. And some slip through the cracks and aren't identified until adulthood.
Justin frowned. Sgt. Alvarez must have been tested when he was a child. How could he not have been identified? He jotted the question down on a pad and tapped his pen against his teeth as he thought. Even more so how could Corporal Jensen have slipped through the cracks and not been identified as a Guide. If the genes for each were latent what had turned them on? He wrote that down as well. Was it environmental? Or some other more mysterious process? Alvarez had been isolated for a month as he made his way out of the jungle and that could very well have been the trigger. But that didn’t explain Jensen. What had been the catalyst for turning his latent genes active? Making a note to check various medical publications in the morning, he continued reading.
***
Adult Sentinel Onset is greatly feared due to the higher rate of Sentinel Psychosis, a condition brought on by cascading senses spiraling out of control leading to insanity, zone out and death. If a Guide cannot be found for the newly online Sentinel, death is inevitable.
It had been such a very close thing. If Corporal Jensen hadn’t been right there and acted so quickly, the hospital could well have turned into a massacre. Justin shuddered at the thought of an out of control, spec ops trained Sentinel blindly lashing out at perceived enemies as his mind descended into madness and chaos. And it would all have been his fault for misdiagnosing the Sergeant’s condition. How could he have been so blind as to have missed it? In retrospect it was quite obvious and he would be lucky if they allowed him to continue to practice medicine. Of course if he was capable of making such a stupid mistake, then maybe he had no business trying to be a doctor at all. The next time his patient might not be so lucky. He stopped his thoughts right there. He knew he was a good doctor and the answer wasn’t to quit. The answer was to learn, to educate himself so that he would never make that particular mistake again. Firmly thinking of all the people he had been able to help over the years, he resolutely turned the page and kept reading.
***
Little is understood about the nature of the Sentinel-Guide Bond, other than it is a lifelong partnership that causes major physiological changes to each of the partners. It is not understood how or why this occurs, but observation and testing has confirmed its existence. Once the bond has formed there is no way to break it that will not result in the death or insanity of both partners. For this reason any attempt to separate the partners, or tamper with a Bond in any way, is considered a criminal offense that is met with ferocious and vigorous opposition. In such cases, Sentinels and Guides are exempt from criminal prosecution if it can be proved that tampering with the Bond led to either partner entering a feral state and/or that they acted in self-defense or the defense of their partner.
Justin set his notepad down and took a sip of his now cold coffee. Absently he rose and got a fresh cup all the while thinking about this development. It was obvious that there were changes in both his patients but what had brought those about he had no clue. According to the few tests he had run even their brain chemistry was altering and Jensen had mumbled something about being able to feel where Alvarez was, even when he was in a different part of the hospital entirely.
The Sergeant had been much less forthcoming but Justin noticed he was extremely protective of the Corporal, to the point of violence. Last night’s incident was a case in point. One messed up blood draw and Sgt. Alvarez had just about rearranged Spc. Breemam’s face and again it had been Jensen who stopped his new partner with a few softly spoken words and a gentling touch, but an even bigger question was what had made Corporal Jensen go feral as well? Guides were supposed to be the stability in the pair. But Jensen had reacted with a Sentinel like intensity when he felt Alvarez had been threatened, falling back on instinctual behavior.
Justin shuddered to think what Jensen would have done if he hadn’t had the good sense to back off and let the man calm down and see they meant his Sentiel no harm. There was just so much they didn’t know about the bond.
***
Due to the intimate nature of the Bond, Sentinels and Guides rarely, if ever, develop romantic ties outside of the bond. Same sex pairs are therefore encouraged to submit genetic samples for research and procreation.
Justin stared at the last bookmarked section in shock. This had the potential for a great deal of trouble for the new pair. He wondered if either of them knew about this aspect of the Bond. As it was neither of them was exactly happy to be paired to begin with, but then to be told they would be tied so closely together that they would not be able to tolerate a relationship outside their own bond? He didn’t think that unhappy would even begin to describe how they would feel about that. Perhaps he should arrange for sedation before they were informed. Justin snorted, he could just imagine what the Corporal’s reaction would be to the idea of drugging his Sentinel. The knife of protectiveness, as he had already demonstrated, cut both ways after all, and tech or not, the Corporal was also spec ops and a highly trained and efficient killer. No, whichever way they were informed, their reaction was not going to be pretty.