2.6: This Isn't What you Wanted
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
The hands cut into the ground as they inch closer along with their master. Psychopath is the first word that comes to mind as you watch him. He made you bleed, he talks to you like you're food, and he's going to feed you to his shadow hands. You can't see it, but there's probably a huge smile under his mask.
He doesn't look like he's about to regret anything. As much as they tried to hide it, the doctors at the hospital never really got the hang of hiding everything. There's always a dip, a tapping of fingers, a wasted step, something that shows that they really don't want to do something. This guy is probably having the time of his life. He's done this before, he knows how it's supposed to go down: You die, and he gets a laugh out of it.
SURPRISE
It might be what he expects, but you sure as hell aren't going to let that happen. You focus around him, and every wave that so much as touches the air he breaths shines for you. Raising a glowing hand, you smile as the man and his hands stop right where they are.
For the first time, there's clear hesitation as he stares at your golden hand. Tilting his head, he laughs again, but this time it's not as carefree. If anything, there's fear. "You're… different than the others."
"But not that different from you," you say, your voice radiating a confidence that you don't remember having.
The man takes a single step back, stepping out of the shadows and making one of his hands slowly sink down. It claws at the ground, but nothing it does stops the descent as it disappears. His other hands twitch and wordlessly scream at the disappearance of one their own. The man takes another step back, but one hand pulls him back, forcing him to stay in the shadow. The twitching stops, and the remaining hands seem to judge you for the loss of their brethren.
He needs to stay in shadow to keep them active. So you just need to get him somewhere that there's no shadow. Can you just force him out with the waves? Well, yes, but, the last time you tried to force someone out of something, you nearly snapped David's neck. He wasn't fighting back, but with this guy, there's no guarantee he or his hands won't try something.
If that happens…
A laugh escape from the man, but this time it's so much different. It's so joyful and full of utter pleasure that it makes you step back. The hands silently shake at the movement.
Are they laughing?
"You," he pauses a moment for a wet, shaking laugh to rattle from his chest, "you changed like me, didn't you?" the man asks, taking a step forward in his eagerness.
"Change?" you ask. "What the hell are you talking about?"
CURIOSITY
"How-h," he stutters to silence for a beat before continuing, his voice a feverishly stuttering mess of manic intensity. "How, hmm, " he giggles wetly and the hands around him seem to shake in silent mirth, "h-how did it happen, hmm? D-Did. Was there pain?" He smiles at that, as if there were nothing better in the world.
"I-no." How on earth do you answer this? How could you ever answer this?
The man tilts his head like a dog hearing some strange sound. "No?"
"No."
And two letters lit a fuse.
You can practically see the astonishment through the man's mask; how a single, solitary, word shatters his world. His hands, his real ones, rise to his mask and he claws at the fabric all the while his mad little mutterings rise to a tortured scream. "No… no no no no no!" His hands, those of shadow and malice, rise into the air trembling and writhing with their master's distress. They bash against one another, the ceiling, the walls, in a frenzy as the man begins ripping away the torn shreds of his mask. "No, no is not!" He shatters the mask's ceramic jaw, revealing torn lips, fetid and dripping with pus. "Pain! My pain! You should know!" He removes a bit from his cheek; burned, rotting, meat and fresh blood leak over the fabric. "You have to! You-I-We," he stutters into incomprehension, his shrieks a jumbled mess of half formed syllables.
His eyes, however are focused unerringly on yourself, and the animalistic fury in them is horrifying.
You slowly back away, putting as much distance as you can between yourself and the man that has turned into little more than a raving monster. Then again, you think to yourself, maybe he was like this from the start.
You focus on him as you back away, carefully increasing the waves above him one by one. His knees buckle under the gravitational pull, and he hits hard on the concrete floor. A loud crack and a scream and the man tumbles to the floor, his right leg bent at a sickening angle.
You hesitate almost immediately. Hurting him isn't right, he's an invalid; a man that is as much a danger to himself as those around him. This isn't what you've set out to do. It isn't what you want, and it isn't what your family wants. This isn't what a hero does.
Just as you start to let up and slowly peel the waves of gravitational force off the broken man, the shadow hands streak towards you. There's one from every direction, each reaching and grasping. "Rip … tear…kill," you can hear the man muttering in between moans of main.
Panic and adrenaline crash into your system. You don't care about the man, his ravings, or his blood. You simply want out. Forcing your hand down, you grab and throw. Below, the floor explodes as instinct takes the reins of your mind. Concrete, stone, and rebar collide with the shadowy limbs, crushing them against the ceiling. The ceiling groans as you press, and dust cascades down from newly formed fissures.Your eyes burn, but you force them open to focus. You take hold of the ceiling, the dust, everything you can hold onto. You take it all and force it to the man. They fly faster than the hands, and they hit with a sickening crack.
And the scream fills the air.
Icy cold horror grips your throat as the result of your work becomes visible. The man… he's beaten, yes, but you…
You didn't want to do this.
ALAM
His limbs are under so much rock and metal you don't even know if they're still attached. It was like he was trapped in a ball of rubble, covering everything leaving only a bit of his torn suit and head visible. Through the cracks, you see scars and burns run along his chest. Wait… are some of those smoking? Some sick reaction makes you look up, facing him eye to eye. Looking at him… oh god you're going to be sick.
So many cuts, so many scars, oh fuck is that bone? Where are his eyes… oh god.
You gag on nothing, dropping to your knees in front of him. For the first time since you drank your vial, you feel your hands and knees hit the ground. Dry heaving takes over, your stomach forcing itself to drop everything it can, but your throat refusing to let anything past. You manage to spit something out. You hear something snap and for some sick reason you look up to the man. His lips quiver without skin, the holes in his head let out tears.
Then he screams that's so full of hate and pain you can't block it out. You scurry back, getting as far away from him as you can. You hit the wall, you can't go any further, but the man is … moving; shifting towards you bit by bit.. His neck pops, something cracks, and he shifts just a little bit closer.
Right into a waiting shadow.
The second he touches it, you barely see a hand as it forces itself out of the folds of his skin and lunges at you. You slam yourself against the wall, and you see your hand glow before your eyes force themselves shut.
You feel the waves increase around him. You hear the crunch and you crack open your eyes to see the hand inches from your face. It twitches once, then dissolves like ash in a breeze. As it disintegrates, you see the ball of rock about the size of your fist floating in front of you.
And the pool of blood under it.
Everything shakes, because you… because you-
Oh fuck what did you do?
Did you… did you just?
FEAR
The thought cuts off as you throw your head forward and the sandwich you had comes right back up along with everything that you had for the last two days. It just keeps coming, and you can't do a thing to stop it. You can only hold yourself up on rickety arms as spit and tears stream down your face. Your throat burns as a scream rips its way through your throat before shattering into a broken series of sobs.
It's so pathetic, but you can't stop it. You feel yourself take a breath, and another scream claws its way out. It burns so much that you can barely feel the tears going down your face. You... you just. Where was the bravado that you showed Clint? Where's the confidence, the feeling that you can actually do this? It's... its.
Just as you take a breath, you hear a footstep. You're head snaps up and you hold out a glowing hand. From the doorway, Rebecca slowly walks into the room, looking as perfect as ever. Her eyes dart around the room at the broken ceiling, the holes in the wall, the ball. The blood. She freezes, and you see the gears turning in her head. It only takes a second for her to tear herself away from the ball and back to you. She looks like she wants to cry, the edges of her eyes watering. Instead of letting them fall, she takes a step towards you.
Something screams for you to move back, and you do. Your feet push you along the dusty broken ground as Rebecca closes in. You hold up a glowing hand, and feel the same cold grip your chest. You force the hand down with your other hand, and Rebecca keeps walking towards you.
"S-Stay aw-away," you plead.
She keeps moving forward, and you push yourself back with renewed vigor. She can't come any closer. If she does she'll be-
No, no-no-no you can't let that happen to her!
DESPERATION
You watch as she doesn't stop, and you feel the wall behind your back.
"P-Please I d-don't…. I d-don't want to…" You whimper as she finally closes the distance.
She leans down, whips a strand of hair from her eyes and reaches out. The waves scream around her fingers, just a thought and she'll be ki-
You feel Rebecca's arms around you, her head in the crook of your neck. She's pulling you so close that you can feel her heart racing. You place your hands on her shoulders, and the waves ready themselves to help you push her away. She can't be near you, if she is you'll… you'll
"Alex," she whispers, "I know that you'll never hurt me. And I know, that you never wanted this to happen."
You start shaking again, and your eyes burn as the river threatens to break the bank. You let go of her shoulders, just so you can pull her close. She doesn't stiffen, she doesn't pull back. She only holds you as hard, and as gently as she can.
Just so you can cry into her shoulder.
CONCERN
Time goes moves on, but it feels like everything's still the same. You, sitting here with Rebecca. Flashes of the man's face, the hands, the ball, they appear everytime you shut your eyes. Sirens blare from outside the room, but Rebecca doesn't even flinch. You try to look through a sizable hole. There is a car just outside the building, and then you hear an explosion. A haze of multi colored light rains down from above and mixes together mid-air, forming a cone around everything you can see. The cop car seems to pause, the officer inside in the half finished motion of getting out of his vehicle.
What… what just?
Behind Rebecca, a door blinks into existence. It opens without a sound, and Cauldron steps through. Matthew, David, Contessa, Manton, and someone else. He's about your height, with blond hair and skin a shade of white that you don't remember seeing. A thick pair of glasses frames his face, the lenses sparkling and shining with different lights as he looks around. This must be Charles, or maybe you've made another mistake tonight. He catches you and Rebecca and for a second, smiles. Then he sees the ball, the blood, and the broken ceiling. His mouth opens and he grimaces.
Rebecca pulls away from you, but you don't want her to leave. Thankfully, she stays right next to you, and only sends a look at Charles.
Pointing to the edge of the light, the adaptation specialist clicks his tongue "I'll just be…" He doesn't bother finishing his sentence, taking off to the field as fast as he can get away with. You don't blame him, you'd rather not be here either. As he leaves, the remaining Cauldron members take stock of everything in the room. Contessa remains as stoic as ever, and David looks off put by the scene but nothing major. Matthew, on the other hand, instantly looks to you. He makes a move towards you, but is stopped as Contessa places a hand on his shoulder. She shakes her head and glances over to Charles. Matthew's fingers crackle, but Contessa doesn't budge. In a move you didn't expect, Manton, of all people, steps up to Matthew and gently drags him away. The two move slowly, Matthew watching both you and Contessa as he goes. He glares daggers at Contessa, but his gaze softens when he looks at you. A single grunt from Manton, and makes his way to Charles as Contessa takes a step forward.
"Rebecca, a moment," she says, her voice as soft and level as you've heard it.
Rebecca shakes her head, causing the deputy director to raise an eyebrow. "This is not a request," she warns.
"I know," Rebecca answers.
"The mentor will take care of Al-"
"David!?" Rebecca screams.
You feel like you should be right there with her, but you don't see the point. She's the strong one, she should be talking. David flinches at his name, and something akin to pain flashes across his face. Part of you laughs at that, but it's just a small part. The rest of you just sits there. Unlike you Rebecca shoots to her feet "I'm not leaving hi-"
"If you want to complete the path, you will follow me now." Contessa orders.
Rebecca takes a step back, utter disbelief running through her. She look down at you, to Contessa and David. Her fist clenches, and it gets so tight that her fingers go white. She looks like she wants to cry, and it hurts so much to watch. More than a day without morphine back at the hospital. So much that you wish that the thing that pumps your blood would just stop. That way, it wouldn't hurt as much.
Something inside you finds the strength to reach of and take hold of her hand. She flinches at your touch, and the surprise on her face feels so wrong to look at. She starts to lean down, and Contessa stops her with a single look. She glances back and tears say the apology she wants to say. You squeeze her hand, and she squeezes back as she lets go. The second her hand leaves, the room feels cold again. Just watching her walk as far away as she can with Contessa hurts just as much as… that.
You throw the weight off your mind and the ball lands with a thunk. The only ones close enough to hear it, are you and David. The god among men shifts his weight, tapping his finger against his arm. A second passes, and nothing. The guy who can have the power of whatever the fuck he can imagine can't even start a god damned conversation.
So instead, you might as well get some answers: "You here to keep us a secret or something?"
David shakes his head, "No," he answers, "your and Rebecca's safety was the priority."
You grit your teeth. "You should have gotten here sooner."
"... yes, we should have," David admits. "But they didn't think it would get this bad."
"And who's they?" you ask.
David shifts but he says nothing. He's not going to talk, fantastic.
"How did you find us? Contessa?" you ask.
David wrestles with the answer for a second before he points to his ear. You blink, and reach up to feel the dampeners. Oh course they also function as trackers. What the fuck were you expecting? Honestly, it's funny that you believed that in the first place. It even makes you smile and laugh at it all.
"This isn't funny," David says, solemnly.
The smile drops off your face as you face David with the most deadpan look you could manage. "No shit Sherlock, did you get that by yourself, or did you pull another fucking power out of your ass to help you out?"
David purses his lips slightly. "You're in shock, it's natural. You just need to calm down-"
"Calm down?" you ask, shooting to your feet. "Calm down? That's all you can say is calm down!" You snap, causing David to take a step back.
You jab a finger at the ball in the pool. "Where's the congratulations!? Where's the praise from you!"
David remains as stoneface as ever.
"Nothing? Isn't this what you wanted? Look at it," you demand.
He keeps staring straight at you, and something makes you grab his head forcibly turn his head to look at the ball.
"Look!" you spit, "there's me doing lasting damage, there's me not holding back!"
You toss his head to the side, forcing him into a stumble. David lands hard on his ass, and you don't give him a second to breath. You grab the cuff of his shirt in a death grip as waves form around him. Someone gasps, but you don't care. You just make it a little harder for David to breathe. "This… this is why I insisted on going slow! I don't have control, and I fucking killed a man because of it, and you want me to calm down!?"
Waves spike in intensity, cracking the walls and making the ground shake. Rebecca flinches and looks on worriedly, it hurts, but you don't care. At the edge of the barrier, something sparks causing Matthew, Charles and Manton to jump back.
"Jesus fuck!" Charles shouts, "can you not start breaking things when I'm wooooorrrrr-" His voice teeters out as he notices you glaring at him. "... I'll shut up now."
Smart choice.
You look back at David, and see a bead of sweat running down his face, "I said I was wrong."
"You don't say? If you did, we would be training like normal people instead of sitting in a murder scene!" You say.
David eyes you and for a second, you see his eyes flash silver. His hand snaps up, gripping your wrist. Something tingles, and you let go of David out of shock. Then, you fall to your knees as all of your energy leaves your legs. David rubs his neck and gives you a flat stare. "I also said you need to calm down! This field can't stay up if you keep lashing-."
"And I was supposed to know this how!?" You roar.
You point an accusing finger at everyone in the room, "You people act like everyone knows some sort of rule book that's just so fucking obvious to everyone in the room! Well guess what? No one told me! You treat me like a kid when I try to work and expect me to just know what you people do when shit happens!"
David's eyes widen, and he shoots Contessa a glare. The deputy director doesn't even bat an eye at the scorn. David sighs, "you're right, they… I messed up."
You keep breathing, in, out and slowly, the anger fades. The cold returns when you see the ball again. Your throat heaves, but nothing comes out. You're just left sitting there with sweat dripping down your face and a cold feeling running through your chest.
"He was a psychopath, and you didn't want to hurt him. In the end, he killed himself for provoking you," David reasons.
You let out a barking chuckle. "Is that supposed to make me feel any better?"
"Justifying it will help you come to terms."
You actually laugh at that. "Is that how you sleep at night?"
"Yes."
UNDERSTANDING
Your head shoots up, and David seems smaller as he sits there.
"It doesn't get easier, but we have to keep going. Because, we're the heroes," he says, his voice low.
That much was obvious from the start. This is what Clint was talking about, isn't it? This burden, to take out the villains before they can hurt someone else.
But… you didn't want to take him out. If you had control, you wouldn't have killed him. The thought makes you shiver. "I… I don't want to be here anymore, I just want to wake up from this," you whisper.
David nods and his eyes flash green. "Take as long as you think you need. We'll be here when you wake up, and this time, I'll do things right."
DATA FAVORABLE
The emerald light behind his eyes grows, and then it flashes. Then you can't feel anything.
INCREASING INTENSITY
When you wake up again, you're back in your room at Cauldron. The fan above you is off, and the sheets are just as soft as they were when you left them. For the first time since you've been here, you don't have the energy to jump out of bed.
You've got to come out soon enough, but now might not be the time. Or it might be the perfect time. You don't know, but then again, you might as well try.
[] Stay in your room. You don't need to talk to anyone right now, you just have some time to think.
[] Stay in your room, and use the phone to call someone. Clint, Danah, your father, anyone.
[] Head out, and try to find Charles. You snapped at him, and he was just trying to help in his own way. Better apologize.
[] Head out, and try to find Contessa. If she has the perfect path, she probably knows exactly what to say to you to help you through this. And explain things while she's at it.
[] Head out and try to find Manton. The Doctor might be blunt, but a blunt answer might just be what you need right now.
[] Head out, and try to find Matthew. He was willing to sit down and talk before, and right now, that sounds like something you need.
[] Head out, and try to find David. He was mean, and hurt you. But, he also knows what it's like. He is your mentor, time to let him try again.
[] Head out, and try to find Rebecca. Apologize for last night, talk about anything other than your powers. It might help both of you.
He doesn't look like he's about to regret anything. As much as they tried to hide it, the doctors at the hospital never really got the hang of hiding everything. There's always a dip, a tapping of fingers, a wasted step, something that shows that they really don't want to do something. This guy is probably having the time of his life. He's done this before, he knows how it's supposed to go down: You die, and he gets a laugh out of it.
SURPRISE
It might be what he expects, but you sure as hell aren't going to let that happen. You focus around him, and every wave that so much as touches the air he breaths shines for you. Raising a glowing hand, you smile as the man and his hands stop right where they are.
For the first time, there's clear hesitation as he stares at your golden hand. Tilting his head, he laughs again, but this time it's not as carefree. If anything, there's fear. "You're… different than the others."
"But not that different from you," you say, your voice radiating a confidence that you don't remember having.
The man takes a single step back, stepping out of the shadows and making one of his hands slowly sink down. It claws at the ground, but nothing it does stops the descent as it disappears. His other hands twitch and wordlessly scream at the disappearance of one their own. The man takes another step back, but one hand pulls him back, forcing him to stay in the shadow. The twitching stops, and the remaining hands seem to judge you for the loss of their brethren.
He needs to stay in shadow to keep them active. So you just need to get him somewhere that there's no shadow. Can you just force him out with the waves? Well, yes, but, the last time you tried to force someone out of something, you nearly snapped David's neck. He wasn't fighting back, but with this guy, there's no guarantee he or his hands won't try something.
If that happens…
A laugh escape from the man, but this time it's so much different. It's so joyful and full of utter pleasure that it makes you step back. The hands silently shake at the movement.
Are they laughing?
"You," he pauses a moment for a wet, shaking laugh to rattle from his chest, "you changed like me, didn't you?" the man asks, taking a step forward in his eagerness.
"Change?" you ask. "What the hell are you talking about?"
CURIOSITY
"How-h," he stutters to silence for a beat before continuing, his voice a feverishly stuttering mess of manic intensity. "How, hmm, " he giggles wetly and the hands around him seem to shake in silent mirth, "h-how did it happen, hmm? D-Did. Was there pain?" He smiles at that, as if there were nothing better in the world.
"I-no." How on earth do you answer this? How could you ever answer this?
The man tilts his head like a dog hearing some strange sound. "No?"
"No."
And two letters lit a fuse.
You can practically see the astonishment through the man's mask; how a single, solitary, word shatters his world. His hands, his real ones, rise to his mask and he claws at the fabric all the while his mad little mutterings rise to a tortured scream. "No… no no no no no!" His hands, those of shadow and malice, rise into the air trembling and writhing with their master's distress. They bash against one another, the ceiling, the walls, in a frenzy as the man begins ripping away the torn shreds of his mask. "No, no is not!" He shatters the mask's ceramic jaw, revealing torn lips, fetid and dripping with pus. "Pain! My pain! You should know!" He removes a bit from his cheek; burned, rotting, meat and fresh blood leak over the fabric. "You have to! You-I-We," he stutters into incomprehension, his shrieks a jumbled mess of half formed syllables.
His eyes, however are focused unerringly on yourself, and the animalistic fury in them is horrifying.
You slowly back away, putting as much distance as you can between yourself and the man that has turned into little more than a raving monster. Then again, you think to yourself, maybe he was like this from the start.
You focus on him as you back away, carefully increasing the waves above him one by one. His knees buckle under the gravitational pull, and he hits hard on the concrete floor. A loud crack and a scream and the man tumbles to the floor, his right leg bent at a sickening angle.
You hesitate almost immediately. Hurting him isn't right, he's an invalid; a man that is as much a danger to himself as those around him. This isn't what you've set out to do. It isn't what you want, and it isn't what your family wants. This isn't what a hero does.
Just as you start to let up and slowly peel the waves of gravitational force off the broken man, the shadow hands streak towards you. There's one from every direction, each reaching and grasping. "Rip … tear…kill," you can hear the man muttering in between moans of main.
Panic and adrenaline crash into your system. You don't care about the man, his ravings, or his blood. You simply want out. Forcing your hand down, you grab and throw. Below, the floor explodes as instinct takes the reins of your mind. Concrete, stone, and rebar collide with the shadowy limbs, crushing them against the ceiling. The ceiling groans as you press, and dust cascades down from newly formed fissures.Your eyes burn, but you force them open to focus. You take hold of the ceiling, the dust, everything you can hold onto. You take it all and force it to the man. They fly faster than the hands, and they hit with a sickening crack.
And the scream fills the air.
Icy cold horror grips your throat as the result of your work becomes visible. The man… he's beaten, yes, but you…
You didn't want to do this.
ALAM
His limbs are under so much rock and metal you don't even know if they're still attached. It was like he was trapped in a ball of rubble, covering everything leaving only a bit of his torn suit and head visible. Through the cracks, you see scars and burns run along his chest. Wait… are some of those smoking? Some sick reaction makes you look up, facing him eye to eye. Looking at him… oh god you're going to be sick.
So many cuts, so many scars, oh fuck is that bone? Where are his eyes… oh god.
You gag on nothing, dropping to your knees in front of him. For the first time since you drank your vial, you feel your hands and knees hit the ground. Dry heaving takes over, your stomach forcing itself to drop everything it can, but your throat refusing to let anything past. You manage to spit something out. You hear something snap and for some sick reason you look up to the man. His lips quiver without skin, the holes in his head let out tears.
Then he screams that's so full of hate and pain you can't block it out. You scurry back, getting as far away from him as you can. You hit the wall, you can't go any further, but the man is … moving; shifting towards you bit by bit.. His neck pops, something cracks, and he shifts just a little bit closer.
Right into a waiting shadow.
The second he touches it, you barely see a hand as it forces itself out of the folds of his skin and lunges at you. You slam yourself against the wall, and you see your hand glow before your eyes force themselves shut.
You feel the waves increase around him. You hear the crunch and you crack open your eyes to see the hand inches from your face. It twitches once, then dissolves like ash in a breeze. As it disintegrates, you see the ball of rock about the size of your fist floating in front of you.
And the pool of blood under it.
Everything shakes, because you… because you-
Oh fuck what did you do?
Did you… did you just?
FEAR
The thought cuts off as you throw your head forward and the sandwich you had comes right back up along with everything that you had for the last two days. It just keeps coming, and you can't do a thing to stop it. You can only hold yourself up on rickety arms as spit and tears stream down your face. Your throat burns as a scream rips its way through your throat before shattering into a broken series of sobs.
It's so pathetic, but you can't stop it. You feel yourself take a breath, and another scream claws its way out. It burns so much that you can barely feel the tears going down your face. You... you just. Where was the bravado that you showed Clint? Where's the confidence, the feeling that you can actually do this? It's... its.
Just as you take a breath, you hear a footstep. You're head snaps up and you hold out a glowing hand. From the doorway, Rebecca slowly walks into the room, looking as perfect as ever. Her eyes dart around the room at the broken ceiling, the holes in the wall, the ball. The blood. She freezes, and you see the gears turning in her head. It only takes a second for her to tear herself away from the ball and back to you. She looks like she wants to cry, the edges of her eyes watering. Instead of letting them fall, she takes a step towards you.
Something screams for you to move back, and you do. Your feet push you along the dusty broken ground as Rebecca closes in. You hold up a glowing hand, and feel the same cold grip your chest. You force the hand down with your other hand, and Rebecca keeps walking towards you.
"S-Stay aw-away," you plead.
She keeps moving forward, and you push yourself back with renewed vigor. She can't come any closer. If she does she'll be-
No, no-no-no you can't let that happen to her!
DESPERATION
You watch as she doesn't stop, and you feel the wall behind your back.
"P-Please I d-don't…. I d-don't want to…" You whimper as she finally closes the distance.
She leans down, whips a strand of hair from her eyes and reaches out. The waves scream around her fingers, just a thought and she'll be ki-
You feel Rebecca's arms around you, her head in the crook of your neck. She's pulling you so close that you can feel her heart racing. You place your hands on her shoulders, and the waves ready themselves to help you push her away. She can't be near you, if she is you'll… you'll
"Alex," she whispers, "I know that you'll never hurt me. And I know, that you never wanted this to happen."
You start shaking again, and your eyes burn as the river threatens to break the bank. You let go of her shoulders, just so you can pull her close. She doesn't stiffen, she doesn't pull back. She only holds you as hard, and as gently as she can.
Just so you can cry into her shoulder.
CONCERN
Time goes moves on, but it feels like everything's still the same. You, sitting here with Rebecca. Flashes of the man's face, the hands, the ball, they appear everytime you shut your eyes. Sirens blare from outside the room, but Rebecca doesn't even flinch. You try to look through a sizable hole. There is a car just outside the building, and then you hear an explosion. A haze of multi colored light rains down from above and mixes together mid-air, forming a cone around everything you can see. The cop car seems to pause, the officer inside in the half finished motion of getting out of his vehicle.
What… what just?
Behind Rebecca, a door blinks into existence. It opens without a sound, and Cauldron steps through. Matthew, David, Contessa, Manton, and someone else. He's about your height, with blond hair and skin a shade of white that you don't remember seeing. A thick pair of glasses frames his face, the lenses sparkling and shining with different lights as he looks around. This must be Charles, or maybe you've made another mistake tonight. He catches you and Rebecca and for a second, smiles. Then he sees the ball, the blood, and the broken ceiling. His mouth opens and he grimaces.
Rebecca pulls away from you, but you don't want her to leave. Thankfully, she stays right next to you, and only sends a look at Charles.
Pointing to the edge of the light, the adaptation specialist clicks his tongue "I'll just be…" He doesn't bother finishing his sentence, taking off to the field as fast as he can get away with. You don't blame him, you'd rather not be here either. As he leaves, the remaining Cauldron members take stock of everything in the room. Contessa remains as stoic as ever, and David looks off put by the scene but nothing major. Matthew, on the other hand, instantly looks to you. He makes a move towards you, but is stopped as Contessa places a hand on his shoulder. She shakes her head and glances over to Charles. Matthew's fingers crackle, but Contessa doesn't budge. In a move you didn't expect, Manton, of all people, steps up to Matthew and gently drags him away. The two move slowly, Matthew watching both you and Contessa as he goes. He glares daggers at Contessa, but his gaze softens when he looks at you. A single grunt from Manton, and makes his way to Charles as Contessa takes a step forward.
"Rebecca, a moment," she says, her voice as soft and level as you've heard it.
Rebecca shakes her head, causing the deputy director to raise an eyebrow. "This is not a request," she warns.
"I know," Rebecca answers.
"The mentor will take care of Al-"
"David!?" Rebecca screams.
You feel like you should be right there with her, but you don't see the point. She's the strong one, she should be talking. David flinches at his name, and something akin to pain flashes across his face. Part of you laughs at that, but it's just a small part. The rest of you just sits there. Unlike you Rebecca shoots to her feet "I'm not leaving hi-"
"If you want to complete the path, you will follow me now." Contessa orders.
Rebecca takes a step back, utter disbelief running through her. She look down at you, to Contessa and David. Her fist clenches, and it gets so tight that her fingers go white. She looks like she wants to cry, and it hurts so much to watch. More than a day without morphine back at the hospital. So much that you wish that the thing that pumps your blood would just stop. That way, it wouldn't hurt as much.
Something inside you finds the strength to reach of and take hold of her hand. She flinches at your touch, and the surprise on her face feels so wrong to look at. She starts to lean down, and Contessa stops her with a single look. She glances back and tears say the apology she wants to say. You squeeze her hand, and she squeezes back as she lets go. The second her hand leaves, the room feels cold again. Just watching her walk as far away as she can with Contessa hurts just as much as… that.
You throw the weight off your mind and the ball lands with a thunk. The only ones close enough to hear it, are you and David. The god among men shifts his weight, tapping his finger against his arm. A second passes, and nothing. The guy who can have the power of whatever the fuck he can imagine can't even start a god damned conversation.
So instead, you might as well get some answers: "You here to keep us a secret or something?"
David shakes his head, "No," he answers, "your and Rebecca's safety was the priority."
You grit your teeth. "You should have gotten here sooner."
"... yes, we should have," David admits. "But they didn't think it would get this bad."
"And who's they?" you ask.
David shifts but he says nothing. He's not going to talk, fantastic.
"How did you find us? Contessa?" you ask.
David wrestles with the answer for a second before he points to his ear. You blink, and reach up to feel the dampeners. Oh course they also function as trackers. What the fuck were you expecting? Honestly, it's funny that you believed that in the first place. It even makes you smile and laugh at it all.
"This isn't funny," David says, solemnly.
The smile drops off your face as you face David with the most deadpan look you could manage. "No shit Sherlock, did you get that by yourself, or did you pull another fucking power out of your ass to help you out?"
David purses his lips slightly. "You're in shock, it's natural. You just need to calm down-"
"Calm down?" you ask, shooting to your feet. "Calm down? That's all you can say is calm down!" You snap, causing David to take a step back.
You jab a finger at the ball in the pool. "Where's the congratulations!? Where's the praise from you!"
David remains as stoneface as ever.
"Nothing? Isn't this what you wanted? Look at it," you demand.
He keeps staring straight at you, and something makes you grab his head forcibly turn his head to look at the ball.
"Look!" you spit, "there's me doing lasting damage, there's me not holding back!"
You toss his head to the side, forcing him into a stumble. David lands hard on his ass, and you don't give him a second to breath. You grab the cuff of his shirt in a death grip as waves form around him. Someone gasps, but you don't care. You just make it a little harder for David to breathe. "This… this is why I insisted on going slow! I don't have control, and I fucking killed a man because of it, and you want me to calm down!?"
Waves spike in intensity, cracking the walls and making the ground shake. Rebecca flinches and looks on worriedly, it hurts, but you don't care. At the edge of the barrier, something sparks causing Matthew, Charles and Manton to jump back.
"Jesus fuck!" Charles shouts, "can you not start breaking things when I'm wooooorrrrr-" His voice teeters out as he notices you glaring at him. "... I'll shut up now."
Smart choice.
You look back at David, and see a bead of sweat running down his face, "I said I was wrong."
"You don't say? If you did, we would be training like normal people instead of sitting in a murder scene!" You say.
David eyes you and for a second, you see his eyes flash silver. His hand snaps up, gripping your wrist. Something tingles, and you let go of David out of shock. Then, you fall to your knees as all of your energy leaves your legs. David rubs his neck and gives you a flat stare. "I also said you need to calm down! This field can't stay up if you keep lashing-."
"And I was supposed to know this how!?" You roar.
You point an accusing finger at everyone in the room, "You people act like everyone knows some sort of rule book that's just so fucking obvious to everyone in the room! Well guess what? No one told me! You treat me like a kid when I try to work and expect me to just know what you people do when shit happens!"
David's eyes widen, and he shoots Contessa a glare. The deputy director doesn't even bat an eye at the scorn. David sighs, "you're right, they… I messed up."
You keep breathing, in, out and slowly, the anger fades. The cold returns when you see the ball again. Your throat heaves, but nothing comes out. You're just left sitting there with sweat dripping down your face and a cold feeling running through your chest.
"He was a psychopath, and you didn't want to hurt him. In the end, he killed himself for provoking you," David reasons.
You let out a barking chuckle. "Is that supposed to make me feel any better?"
"Justifying it will help you come to terms."
You actually laugh at that. "Is that how you sleep at night?"
"Yes."
UNDERSTANDING
Your head shoots up, and David seems smaller as he sits there.
"It doesn't get easier, but we have to keep going. Because, we're the heroes," he says, his voice low.
That much was obvious from the start. This is what Clint was talking about, isn't it? This burden, to take out the villains before they can hurt someone else.
But… you didn't want to take him out. If you had control, you wouldn't have killed him. The thought makes you shiver. "I… I don't want to be here anymore, I just want to wake up from this," you whisper.
David nods and his eyes flash green. "Take as long as you think you need. We'll be here when you wake up, and this time, I'll do things right."
DATA FAVORABLE
The emerald light behind his eyes grows, and then it flashes. Then you can't feel anything.
INCREASING INTENSITY
When you wake up again, you're back in your room at Cauldron. The fan above you is off, and the sheets are just as soft as they were when you left them. For the first time since you've been here, you don't have the energy to jump out of bed.
You've got to come out soon enough, but now might not be the time. Or it might be the perfect time. You don't know, but then again, you might as well try.
[] Stay in your room. You don't need to talk to anyone right now, you just have some time to think.
[] Stay in your room, and use the phone to call someone. Clint, Danah, your father, anyone.
[] Head out, and try to find Charles. You snapped at him, and he was just trying to help in his own way. Better apologize.
[] Head out, and try to find Contessa. If she has the perfect path, she probably knows exactly what to say to you to help you through this. And explain things while she's at it.
[] Head out and try to find Manton. The Doctor might be blunt, but a blunt answer might just be what you need right now.
[] Head out, and try to find Matthew. He was willing to sit down and talk before, and right now, that sounds like something you need.
[] Head out, and try to find David. He was mean, and hurt you. But, he also knows what it's like. He is your mentor, time to let him try again.
[] Head out, and try to find Rebecca. Apologize for last night, talk about anything other than your powers. It might help both of you.
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