I should be in bed but I'm not. I should be working on my other stories but I'm not. I couldn't help it. This idea was been festering in my head ever since episode one and it's just grown more, especially after episode six. Also I ship Thunderblink so much it's not even funny. So here is chapter one of jinXed!
Dropping the papers back on the desk, John hanged his head, fingers pressing at his temples. It'd been over five hours since sitting down with the files that Marcos and Reed had stolen and, considering the same page he'd been reading for five minutes was starting to get blurry, he knew it was time for a break. Sonia had been at his side for the first three hours but with the time getting late she'd gone to bed while he continued on.
"So is that all? That's all we need to talk about?"
"I'm just a portable door maker?"
So many hours later and he can still hear Clarice's voice clear as day. He'd wanted to deny the door maker comment but he'd been caught off guard and she'd continued the verbal assault.
He'd apologized, not very well now that he looked back on it, but also made the mistake of saying that they'd still needed her abilities, highlighting the fact that they'd kept the truth from her on purpose.
"Oh, I get it. You didn't wanna tell me because you wanted to use me?"
Those words had made his stomach churn. There were others in the underground that had been used in some way and knowing he was now on par with such people made him sick. He tried to offer his help, his own ability for her search, hoping to make amends for hurting her but she'd denied him. And her comment about having not asked for his help stung. That even though he could certainly find who she was looking for, Clarice wanted nothing to do with him.
"I just wanna know…when we were working together in the warehouse, and we were alone, the way you looked at me…was that real?"
Hearing those words from her had rolled his stomach, his mouth suddenly dry. Here at his desk alone, hours later, he could say that yes, it had been real. He felt something for her, a jolt every time his eyes found her, anytime her name was uttered. But he'd cowered away. Said that it was complicated. It had been though. What could have happened was marred by Sonia's manipulation but also his decision to not reveal what had been done to her. Because what she had said was true. They'd kept her in the dark to use her.
"I'm gonna help make this a lot less complicated."
The words still chilled his blood. In his gut he knew she was gonna leave but he'd ignored it. Assumed that she would need time and they could make peace. But he'd seen the change in her eyes, the way she now looked at him.
When she first came to the underground she'd been wary but the morning of her first training session she'd given him a small smile, her jab about doughnuts had made him smile back, happy that she was opening up enough to him for her to joke. She did it again, when he'd told her to visualize what she cared about.
"A warm jelly doughnut."
She's peeked over at him, wide jade eyes impish and lips quirked into a small smirk. He'd fought back his own smile, trying to be serious but feeling something swell in his chest when she'd looked at him. Had seen the small bit of trust she had in him.
But earlier today, when they had talked, he hadn't seen it. It was gone, destroyed by a single decision on his part. She'd walked around him, ignoring his plea, and had disappeared. He'd heard the portal, seen the beautiful purples and blues, and he'd thrown himself out of the large metal safe only to see nothing but fluttering paper.
John sighed, dropping his hands from their place at his temples and picked the files back up. As much as he wanted to pack up his things, chase after Clarice, he couldn't. People needed him here. Pushing back against the exhaustion, John went back to reading his abandoned file.
It was roughly twenty minutes later that his stomach clenched in fear, only having read his third file's title and first couple sentences before he was out of his chair and rushing silently up the stairs to get to Marcos and Lorna's room.
~~~jinXed~~~
"Clarice is in danger. I have to go after her."
That had been the first thing John had said when he entered his co-leaders' room. They were getting ready for bed, Lorna had been hidden in a corner getting changed while Marcos was sitting up against the bed's headboard. He had thrust the file into Marcos' surprised hands and started to pace. Lorna had changed into pants and was now sitting next to her partner as they read over the file.
John, in his fear, hadn't even read the entire thing. He had only seen Clarice's name, her picture, and the first few sentences about the Hound project being interested in her. There was no way in Hell he was gonna let them near her. He'd failed Gus, his best friend, and he wasn't about to have someone else be taken away from him.
"They wanna make her into a Judas horse."
John's fist clenched at Marcos' words. Of course, it made perfect sense. Brainwash her then release her. She would get picked up by one of the underground's smaller cells. Once there she could establish herself and when word of a "raid" came, she could say she knew of a safe place they could go. Only that safe place would be somewhere designated by Sentinel Services.
"It's definitely a security risk." Lorna mused.
Marcos picked up on her train of thought. "She knows where this place is and if they catch her, the whole network could go down. You and Sonia need…"
"No." John knew he said it too harsh, too quick, but he didn't want Sonia around for this or really anywhere near Clarice. He saw the way Marcos and Lorna were watching him. Marcos' eyes slightly confused but it was Lorna's piercing stare that unnerved him. "I worked with her the most, I have the highest chance of getting to talk to her but if she sees anyone else she could bolt. I have to do this alone."
Marcos raised an eyebrow at him but then turned to look at Lorna as she was one of the founders and main leaders. Lorna was quiet, staring at John with a knowing look that made him want to shift in place.
She finally relented. "You better get a move on, she's got a couple days on you."
John only nodded sharply at them before he left, heading straight for his own quarters. Flicking a lamp on, he tossed a duffle bag on the bed, throwing in clothing needed for at least a week but also a small but efficient first aid kit. It was when he was double checking said kit for all the necessary items that he sensed her coming toward his room.
He'd known her long enough to know that she'll come out swinging and she didn't disappoint. As soon as she passed the threshold she stroked. "What happened?"
John looked up at the formidable green-haired woman standing in his doorway with her arms crossed, "Depends, what do you know already?"
Lorna didn't miss a beat. "Just that Marcos has seen you smile more in the past couple weeks than you have in months but you know what I'm talking about. I saw the looks you threw at Sonia during that meeting. I mean what happened between you, Clarice, and her?"
John's hands froze. He didn't want to say it but he knew they couldn't work as co-leaders if they weren't truthful about what was happening to the people they were suppose to be taking care of. "When you were in custody, me and Marcos, along with the Struckers were being chased by men in trucks, being shot at. I called Sonia to see if someone could come up with a solution. Sonia figured Clarice could make a portal big enough to get us off the road but at the time Clarice's powers weren't strong enough so Sonia…Sonia gave her a memory, something to care about that would help fuel her abilities. Enough for us to escape."
He could see how quickly Lorna made the connection. "A memory of you and her, except she replaced herself with Clarice."
John nodded. "I knew right away something wasn't right and asked Sonia, who told me what she did but…we needed Clarice's help to get you out."
Lorna had started nodding mid-way through his explanation, waiting until he was done before commenting. "So you didn't tell her and she probably found out. That's why she left."
John shoved the first aid into his duffle. "Yeah. She asked me about it and I couldn't keep it from her."
"I can understand Sonia's manipulation, it was the quickest solution. Maybe not the smartest but considering the emergency it's understandable. What's not understandable is the need to keep it from her, to let her suffer the effects, to use her." Lorna's voice ended bitingly and John looked up at her, seeing the slight anger and disappointment thrown in his direction. "You know nobody likes to be used, even more so by people that you trust."
John zipped his bag close roughly. "I know."
"Then get your head out of your ass, get your feels straight, and man up. This isn't middle school or even high school. We may be leaders John but we're human."
John looked up at her words, could feel his brows furrow and he must have been giving off a certain look for Lorna to scoff at him, rolling her eyes.
"I've only been back a few days and even I can see it. Get it together John and see you when you both get back." She turned on her heel and was out the door, heading back to Marcos.
John only took a moment to absorb her words before he swinging his bag over his shoulder, clicking the small lamp off, and shutting the door behind him.
So what did everyone think? I know it's a small chapter but I wanted to get this out before episode seven aired. Also if no one knows what a Judas horse is, basically a tame horse used by Bureau of Land Management to help corral wild horses. They'll try herding a group to an area that's close to a pen and once they're close enough and in a gallop, they release the Judas horse ahead of the group as horses follow after each other. At that point the trained horse leads the group into a pen set up by the BLM. And ta-da! So that's what I mean about Clarice being brainwashed into a Judas horse. So let me know what you thought! Peace out. -Mez