Chapter Two
I spent my childhood as a lab rat. My parents were doctors, and they performed terrible and painful experiments on me. Funnily enough these experiments are what gave me my powers, so in a way I'm grateful, even though just thinking about them makes my jaw clench.
The only proof the experiments took place are videos my parents recorded of the numerous sessions. I never stopped thinking about those videos. If anyone found them they could use them to prove the existence of my powers. The only reason I've been able to act freely like I have is because no one believes in mind control. If someone were to get their hands on those videos not only could they prove the existence of my powers, but if they dig deep enough they could find me. I haven't been using an alias all these years for the fun of it. In case anyone where to locate those videos it would take a lot of sleuthing to connect Kevin Thompson to Kilgrave. Difficult task, but not impossible.
In my down time I started searching for the tapes. After compelling a lot of people, I eventually found a lead: Reva Connors. The night Jessica left me was the night we found Reva. Reva admitted to having the only copy of the videos saved on a hard drive. Another pro to having my powers is that no one ever lies to me. Reva had hidden the hard drive in an abandon construction site. The hard drive had been buried then covered with concrete. Thankfully, I had Jessica by my side. She tore through the concrete with just an ax and her strength. After breaking through the surface Jessica dug through the ground and found a small leather box. I opened the box saw, inside was a yellow hard drive, I closed it and put it in my coat pocket.
The three of us walked outside. It was dark and so the streets were vacant, which was perfect. I didn't want any witnesses for what was about to happen.
"Take care of her." I ordered Jessica.
Without hesitating Jessica curled a hand into a fist and punched Reva square in her chest. The sound of her ribs breaking sounded like crushed ice. She flew off the ground and landed hard in the street, her head hitting the concrete. Jessica walked over and crouched next to Reva, touching her body. She must have been checking to make sure she was dead, but I already knew.
"Come on, Jessica." I said.
Jessica stayed in place next to Reva. Her hand was covered in blood and shaking.
"Come back here Jessica!" I ordered.
There had been moments in my relationship with Jessica were it took a little long for her to listen to a command. Were others would jumped at my commands Jessica often hesitated, making me give my orders a second time to make her obey. It was always a cause of irritation for me, and one of the things I didn't miss from our relationship.
Jessica stood up, but instead of walking back to me like I had ordered, she walked away from me. My irritation turned to fury. I couldn't believe she was defying me. She had offered resistance in the past, but never flat out defiance. I ran into the street after her.
"Come back here Jessica!" I yelled.
Jessica turned, her legs shaking, and looked back at me. Her eyes looked blurry like she was about to cry. She turned away from me and starting running. I started to run after her, but the sound of a horn blared in my ear. I turned around and coming right at me was a damn bus. The driver tried to swerve out of the way, but that only made the bus flip on its side. The bus skidded at me, and I moved out of the way to avoid getting hit full on, but I still collided with the edge of the vehicle and I was sent flying.
As I lay on the ground, my mouth tasting like copper, I tried calling out to Jessica for help. Sadly, Jessica never came to rescue me. She had left me to die.
I woke up in the back of an ambulance, strapped down to a stretcher. I felt like all nine circles of Hell. I pulled my arm free and pulled off the oxygen mask covering my mouth.
"Pull over!" I rasped.
The driver obeyed, parking the car at a corner.
"Unstrap me!"
After I was free I tried sitting up, but a terrible wave shot through my back and I went down.
"Where's Jessica?" I gasped.
"Who?" The EMT asked.
"Jessica Jones!" I yelled. "Where is she?"
A terrible thought reared my head. What if the reason Jessica didn't come help me was because she was hit by the bus. Jessica had amazing strength, but wasn't made of steel. What if she was in another ambulance, her body more broken than mine? Or what if she was dead? What would I do if she was dead? I didn't know.
I described what Jessica looked like, and the EMT didn't see anyone matching the description at the scene. Just Reva, the driver, and me. Jessica had fled. Fear was replaced by anger. Deep seething anger.
"What's you're name?" I asked.
"Jack Denton."
"Well Jack tell me, what's wrong with me."
"One of your kidneys are destroyed, the other is shutting down. You'll need a transplant or dialysis soon or you'll die."
I snorted. "Know any good transplant doctors?"
I was lying on a large surgical mat in Denton's apartment when he finally came back with Doctor Kurata. David Kurata was the best transplant surgeon in the area so I was confident he would be able to help me. If not he would suffer a big loss.
The doctor was holding a medical bag and looked very baffled and scared. I think that had to do with the gun Denton had pointed at his back.
"What is this?" He gasped looking at me.
"I'm your patient. I need a kidney transplant, and I need you to perform the surgery."
"I'll need a matching donor."
"Will someone who isn't a match help?" I asked, annoyed. I really didn't want to go through the process of finding someone with my blood type, but I would if I had to.
"Yes, but only temporarily in a few years you'll need another donor."
"Well, we'll just cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime I need two kidneys put in me."
"You can survive with one." Kurata said.
"I want two, I want to be made whole again."
"Where are the donated kidneys." The doctor asked, looking around like I had them on the floor.
"You can take them from this gentleman." I nodded at Denton. "Jack put the gun down and come lie next to me."
He did so, and Kurata looked like he was about to faint.
"Open your medical bag and get started." I said.
"I'll need to put you under-"
"No!" I ordered. "No anesthesia. What else do you have to numb the pain?"
"An epidural will numb you up, but with a procedure like this you'll still feel a lot of pain."
"I'm no stranger to pain." I said.
I learned a long time ago, that any form of anesthesia shuts off my powers and leaves me without them for a while after. I couldn't risk that, especially in the predicament I was in, so I stayed awake through every hour of the surgery. During the surgery when I felt myself slipping, I would think of Jessica leaving me to die and I would stay awake. The only thing that kept me going was my anger towards her. My anger would always keep me going.
I knocked on the door and a man answered.
"Yes?" He asked.
"You would like to invite me in." I said simply.
"Absolutely." The man responds and steps to the side to allow me access into his home.
I stroll into the apartment, and notice the view of the city from the window. Nice. Then I notice the garish art on the walls. Not as nice, but I can always take them down.
A woman, I assume the man's wife, looks up at me in confusion.
"Honey, who's this?" She asked her husband.
"I'm gonna be your guest here, indefinitely." I answered for her. "You'll be delight."
"Enjoy the view!" She said politely.
"I intend to."
I walked towards the large window, pass the couple's two children, a boy and a girl. I step on the boy's car on my way to the window and stare out at the beautiful city. I wished I could see Jessica's apartment from where I was. I wanted to take the building right across from hers, so I could just look out the window and see her everyday, but that would be too risky being that close. I had to settle for the pictures.
"That was my car!" The little boy wails, interrupting my thoughts.
"Children should be seen and not heard. Or better still, not seen and not heard. Get into that closet."
The boy obeyed, walking towards the closet. The girl doesn't follow her brother and I look at her and see why. Headphones. If others can't hear my commands they can't obey me. But she only had one ear plugged, so I raised my voice and told her to get into the closet as well.
"I have to use the bathroom!" She said.
"Just go in the closet, it'll be fine."
Once they're both in I closed the door and locked it. The mother started to protest, but I told her it was fine and she calmed down. I took a seat at the kitchen table, moving some magazines out of my way with a wave of my hand. As the husband prepared the meal I started cleaning my knife. Maybe if the food was good, and the night went well I'd let this family go. Or kill them all. I was the one with the power so I could do whatever I wanted.
