[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
And here we continue with chapter two for now. I hope you, dear readers, are entertained just fine. I'm also sorry if the last chapter was very exposition-y. I haven't thought of a plot arc for Frances to embark on her own as well, so double apologies for no plot moving forward. And in case you were wondering, yes, it was Thanos who caused all the people in her life to vanish. Because Infinity Gauntlet and finger snapping. Here you go, and enjoy.
2: His Calmness
Afternoon college classes on molecular structures went on. Frances jotted down notes on lessons that the old lecturer taught for the day. She herself struggled to understand these concepts, but perhaps she will in time. There were only lectures, no laboratory sessions. It was fine. Tomorrow she was permitted to focus on her classes and not patrol the city to stomp down on crime, so she has her extra time ready.
The clock showed 3.15 pm. The bell rang and the moderately-filled hall slowly moved outward. Frances packed her belongings and went to move out. No bus rides this time, because it has to be today that Standard Co. said to come over at around 3.30. She was running out of time.
"Urgh …" She hissed, as the pain in her head pounded again. "Not again … I hope it works out later."
She rushed from the hall quietly to a corner she knew that many people didn't frequent, at a balcony overlooking the basement ground below. She looked around and cast a portal that led to her room, and hurriedly jumped through it.
"Alright, let's do this … time for that … and a meeting with Jonathan." She murmured.
The portal vanished, no one saw, she safely entered her room and cast her belongings aside. She was needed with urgency, so there was no time to take her time like she did this morning to college. She only kept her wallet in her jeans, and hurriedly opened the wardrobe to pull out her entire costume and slip into it.
Jumpsuit worn. Cape worn. Headbowl worn. Her get-up was done. Mysterio she was now, not Frances Beck.
She wordlessly moved through a portal in mid-air that she conjured.
At a sleek-looking interior of a giant reception hall-like chamber, a single middle-aged woman in work attire was typing something on her computer when a low-key shriek of a noise cackled through the chamber. Mysterio came out and the portal was gone.
"Ah, you're early!" The woman Mrs Hutchins rose from her seat to go to greet Frances. "But we're not yet done setting up the procedures!" This entire chamber was clearly designed to welcome only Mysterio, for it has no doors or windows to access it from the outside.
"I'm fine. Just let me wait somewhere and we can get it done and over with." Frances said.
Mrs Hutchins turned around. Frances was just about to follow when a huge bump of pain pounded in her head again. Had she not been able to immediately focus on her mind, she would have fallen on the spot.
Her legs strengthened themselves. She made sure Mrs Hutchins didn't see her gesture nor hear her grumbling. The pain in the head was back again. "Nggh … got to hang in there …"
The emotional trauma of losing almost everyone and everything was too much for her, but at least she was able to slowly overcome it by calming her mind and meditating whenever she could. But with this type of pounding, it seemed as if the pain from the emotional trauma is being replaced by physical pain from inside her head.
"Alright, Ms Beck, please don't worry! I'll get the doctors to come here pronto. Then we can begin the tests to evaluate your physical status and determine if you can still go around the city." Mrs Hutchins said without looking before. "I will be back with your assignment after the tests. Is that okay?"
"Y – yes, that is fine … and please … call me Mysterio …" Frances said.
"Oh no! I was there on your first day last year when you were evaluated! I will always see you as the poor girl who needs help! Makes us more familiar, don't you think? Besides, everything around Standard Co. is being pushed to the limit. We all need to support each other. Please! It means a lot to me!" Mrs Hutchins said, still not looking behind.
"Fine … if you insist … point me to where I should wait." Frances said.
"Shall I ring up the President? To my understanding he's a little free today and he could surely use your company!"
"Oh … of course. That would be good. Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it."
Mrs Hutchins entered a medical door, her left hand gesturing to a nearby green chair. Frances silently walked over and sat on it, her cape flowing along gently. Inside her headbowl, she was blushing, for she didn't expect to suddenly see Jon again so soon, given his recent schedule to revamp and increase Standard Co. profits. In fact, Standard Co. work was the only reason he was not in school with her. He had to make sure his father's legacy was safe.
"Urgh …" Frances raised her right arm to bang gently on the headbowl.
Give it back to me … give it back to me … give it back! A sharp hiss inside her mind didn't go unheard by her. She was aghast and frightened. That's the first time she heard such a voice.
She didn't know how much time passed, for when she snapped out of the pain and pushed aside the hissing noise, she found Jonathan before her, in his usual suit and worried look, glancing over her.
"Francie … are you okay?" He gestured.
"J – Jon!" She lost her calm and stoic demeanour when she was with Mrs Hutchins. "I … I … it's nothing! I'm just having some headache, that's all! I can handle it! I … I came early, and yet there's no one around …"
"Well … I got word you were around, so this time I rushed over to see you. I'll be late for the meeting on corporate maintenance but I will be fine. Don't worry." He smiled at her.
"Oh you …" She sighed with a smile. She gestured for Jon to sit to her right, and he went along.
"So … after tonight … do you want to stop by in my office at the top-most floor? I – I can take you out to dinner." Jon embarrassingly began. "Not like this though, I mean … as you. The normal college student."
"Why, I'll love to." She responded sweetly. "I mean, let's see if I can survey the whole city again. Last night, I tried out my powers to look at every nook and cranny. It's tough, but doable. I just need to focus …"
"Francie … if you need to rest, then rest." Jon said. "I … I know you're doing this because our government gave us S.H.I.E.L.D to rebuild and yadda yadda yadda, and you're told to at least make sure New York is fine. But … after one year, it looks like this is taking a toll on you. Just rest for once. I can hold the government off."
"A – are you sure about this?" She responded. "Isn't the Earth still in a bad shape after the big disaster last year? Y – you need to make sure all of the Co is fine, right? I – I need to work too!"
"To be fair … yes. But … I don't want it to come at the cost of you not being you. It's … in your voice. I can tell. You're facing some troubles. What's wrong? Not enough allowance? Not enough things to buy?" Jon asked. "I can get them all for you, you know. Because … you're still the only one I cherished after all these years …"
Frances would've gasped and tried to hide her face in shock, but her headbowl hide her face for her and she only clenched her fists lightly. Jon was really so sweet a person; he could've been arrogant and proud of the wealth behind his back, but he chose to remain caring for her.
"J – Jonathan – I …" Frances choked a little but held those type of feelings back.
"Ms Beck!" A sudden shout by Mrs Hutchins. "The doctors are here! They're really sorry they couldn't greet you in person! You can go in and get evaluated for now! Oh! Mr President! Familiarizing yourself with Ms Beck again?"
"Ah!" Both 19-year-olds let out a gasp. Frances stood up and resumed her stoic demeanour as Mysterio while Jon dusted his attire and resumed his face as Standard Co. President.
"T – thank you. I will head in right away." Frances walked past the medical door to face the doctors.
"So …" Mrs Hutchins snickered. "Did you make any progress so far, with your childhood friend?"
"Urgh … we were there. But you interrupted us suddenly." Jon hissed lightly.
"You two will be fine. And by the way, she feels like she's in a great deal of pain. If you want her as your beloved, make sure you win her over as much as possible, mmkay?" Mrs Hutchins sped off to her receptionist desk.
"Silly old coot. Stop interfering in what I'm doing on this." Jon silently grumbled and went down the corridor.
Frances faced through the usual tests – treadmill, weight lifting, lung capacity evaluation (she lifted her headbowl a little so she could breathe into the machine), summoning the typical creatures and bending them to her will. The doctors kept nodding and writing stuff down on their graph pad things.
Barely an hour later was she done. The tests were all fine – and the good news was that she didn't need to come for another evaluation in two weeks. She was to continue strengthening her own control over her demonic powers.
And at the same time, struggle with her own emotions and headaches for the better.
Mrs Hutchins passed a note over the moment she got out back into the huge reception hall-like chamber. The note detailed again the same time – spy on the citizens for potential crime rings forming in the quiet and stopping petty crimes. Frances rolled her eyes around (for she had just checked this morning in practice that no sudden 'dirty spots' had surfaced), but as a formality sake, she would go out and do it anyway.
It was lonely when she levitated throughout the city. She saw advertisement boards with her heroine's face (headbowl and cape, really) either praising her or calling on citizens to rebuild model lifes based on her own selfless acts of making the city a safe place to live. She sighed inwardly. She kind of liked it.
She stopped on the rooftop of the former F.E.A.S.T headquarters. She looked around. A great view of the city as per usual, and no janitor to pop up or snoop in suddenly.
"Let's do this …" She murmured before raising both hands to the sky. Suddenly, dark clouds came from nowhere and the city was engulfed in dark, contradicting weather reports that this summer day would not have rain. Indeed, it rained.
She focused and thrusted both palms ahead of her. Multiple purple portals surfaced, and the whispers of secret voices in all of creation came to her ears. She focused her mind again, and heard everything in that brief five seconds.
Usually, when the process was done, she could wave the dark clouds away. But this time, when she waved all the portals away, the dark clouds remained, and it continued raining. She was perplexed.
"W – wha – this has never happened before!" She couldn't help but exclaim.
Give me back all of it! My power! Give me back everything! Like father, like daughter! Give it all back to me!
The hissing voice in her head got louder. "Nrggh! Get out of my head!" She groaned.
Give it back to me! Give it back! The hissing voice only screeched back.
Frances lifted her headbowl, dropped it safely on the floor and focused intense demonic power into her palms and shot the power through her head. She could hear the voice scream in pain, and then, the pounding pain was gone.
"Ha … hah …" Frances panted repeatedly. She had sensed it. The source of her pain in her head was nothing ordinary. Something living was in there. Something that explicitly referred to her father.
She decided to deal with it later. She grabbed her headbowl and wore it to complete her identity. She was wet all over. She conjured a safe portal back to her apartment room and settled down on the floor.
"Oh no … brain, think! What kind of spell allows me to exorcise unwanted intruders?!" She hissed out loud, allowing the woolly carpet floor to soak up whatever moisture and water on her being and costume.
She sat down quietly and meditated. Let the protocol repeat itself. She closed her eyes and focused …
"T – that's it. I found it. The next time it happens, I will face it." She smiled.
After cleaning her overall being and her gear (still a little wet), she instantly passed through a portal back to the reception hall-like chamber. It was only 5 pm, so Mrs Hutchins hasn't left. The middle-aged lady was utterly surprised to see Frances back.
"So fast?" She raised her eyebrows. "W – what's the progress?"
"You can tell your intel that the city is safe again. Just inform the police to surround the lower Manhattan areas tonight for possible petty crimes. Everywhere else is fine. Where is President Albright?" Frances responded.
"He – he's still in his office. Done with his meeting. He says he wants to be there until 7 for you …"
"Thank you. I will return tomorrow for regular patrolling." Frances conjured a portal and leapt through it.
Mrs Hutchins wanted to rush and jump through the portal, herself curious to see how it works, but it was too late. The portal vanished the instant Frances leapt through it. "Hmph. How mean of her."
Indeed, Jon was alone. He was done with his work, but he was bored. He happened to have his door locked, so there was no way someone could come in. Of course, this doesn't apply to Mysterio.
"Francie!" He exclaimed when he saw a portal appear and out came his childhood friend clad in her secret costume. "You're early! W – what can I do for you?"
"Well … I figured we should start spending our time together. I can get off this costume, and we can go and eat somewhere early no problem." She started after lifting her headbowl.
You imbecile! You think you can remove me!? The hissing voice came back.
"Ngrhgh!" Frances groaned, dropping her headbowl, her hands clasping her temples at the same time, stirring Jon into shock. "No … you won't get me … my father may have made … a deal with you in the past … but I didn't!"
Your powers are originally mine! You have no right over it!
"Well … I'm taking it away!" Frances cursed back. Jon dared not do anything yet. "J – Jon! Do you have a sort of exit to the rooftop!?"
"Y – yeah I do!" Jon nodded with determination. "S – shall I show you the way!?"
"Yes! Please do! I don't have much time, so make it quick! AH!" She moaned in pain even more.
Jon rushed over to the far left of his office and yanked a wooden door open, pointing the way upward. Frances saw it and ran straight for it and upward. She banged through the wooden door at the end (why it was unlocked was beyond her, but she was thankful) and made herself placed at the center of the rooftop floor.
"Exkedur ori valaninum!" Frances uttered a spell, focused a huge amount of energy in her hands and slammed them on her temples. "I'm getting you out … and you're not tormenting me like my father, Dormammu!"
Jon had followed behind but dared not make himself present. He peeked quietly as Frances forcefully yanked something dark and heavy from both sides of her head. The being yelled in pain. Frances threw this huge red-purple thing into mid-air, upon which it reformed into a solid wisp. A dark entity with a fiery head.
"These are my powers! I need them back to survive back in my dimension! Give it back, child, or suffer a far worse fate beyond your imagination!" Dormammu yelled and fired many fiery shots toward Frances.
"I did not make a pact with you! Go and haunt someone else!" She conjured green flames from her arms which countered Dormammu's attacks. "Why do you need your powers back anyway!? I believe you were all-powerful!"
"Silly girl! You have seen it for yourself, have you not!? A sudden event that vaporized all your loved ones and friends around you into dust!" Dormammu said. "Don't bother denying it! I saw it in your memories! Someone in this world with a power far greater than mine did it! And my own dimension suffered from it as well! Without my powers, my dimension will collapse! I cannot have that! I sought the only other person in this universe who had my powers – you! I caused your emotions to stir and your head pains to get my powers back!"
Frances felt the emotional trauma and indeed her pounding headache were all gone. Unfortunately for Dormammu, thanks to her meditation, she was able to focus now on using the most of her powers and aim a single shot penetrating Dormammu's heart, all the while chanting the various spells in Faltine language to make them effective.
"Go back to the fiery abyss from which you came!" Frances shouted.
"No … tis impos … sible …" The entity groaned as it vaporized into oblivion.
Instantly, the dark clouds cleared and the rain stopped. It was evening, but the sky was somewhat orange and dark.
Frances stared at her arms. It was flaring orange, not green or purple. She searched through her mind – it was so clear now and no pain whatsoever remained. She realized internally that she never really felt horrible from losing her father in The Snap (now confirmed by Dormammu to be real), but she had always been at peace with herself ever since she reunited with her father thanks to Spider-Man easily more than a year ago.
"Hah … free … and fine …" She fell on her knees and allowed the wet soaking floor to be felt by her skin under her costume. Tears flowed down her face. "Free … and now I can move forward …"
Moments later, a confused-looking Jon came out. "Uh … is it safe? Can you tell me what happened?"
Frances sat up and smiled. "My father … long ago made a pact with a demon from another dimension to acquire more power for himself. In the process, his soul was locked up, but … thanks to a certain web slinger from long ago, his soul was freed. I too acquired the same powers from the same demon but … I never made a pact with it. It was mad. It tried to get my powers back for itself, but … I stopped it. No worries. The proof is here."
She waved her fiery hand in front of Jon. "It used to be green and purple. But it's orange now. So I take it to be … good."
"I … I'm just glad you're safe." Jon sighed heavily. "You – you're safe now, right?"
"Yes …" She nodded silently. "And Jon … thank you for watching out for me since so long ago. I … I just realized today that … I cherish you too."
Jon scratched the back of his head. "Well … it's not really cherish, but … I love you …"
Frances covered her mouth with the tip of her fingers, her eyes shaking and body trembling. "In that case … I love you too."
Jon bent down and gave her a huge hug. She responded by embracing him as well. "Well … I suppose … I can still treat you for dinner?" He asked silently.
Standard Co. got a curious note that Jon was 'going to stay the night at the office' and asked 'not to be disturbed'. He was the President, so the apparatus dared not intrude or interfere. In fact, Frances had actually resumed her full costume gear, conjured an orange warm portal in Jon's office and yanked him through, moving them now into her apartment.
"Y – you're preparing dinner!?" Jon was aghast. "But I wanted it to be my treat!"
"Well, I did shopping a while back. Feel free to make sure of whatever ingredients there." Frances smiled at him.
The clock struck 6.30. After Frances had gone to clean-dry her costume and gear in her room, Jon familiarized himself with her refrigerator and found ingredients for a meat platter. She showered and changed into new clothes while he cooked. She prepared a spare set of clothes for him while he set up the dinner in the dining room.
It was a good dinner of meat platter and orange juice. They smiled as they dined for the first time in their lifes (they had really just met together in junior school onwards, with no real interaction actually – though their subconscious feelings for one another slowly blossomed since), laughed as they told jokes, cheered as they cleaned up everything.
They were in no mood for watching TV, nor was she in a mood to recount her lectures for today. Jon went to bathe and clean himself in her bathroom cautiously, and even dress in the spare clothes she got him. By the time they were both done, it was 8 pm. They shared a moment together on her bed, enjoying each other's presence.
"So … how do you want to go home?" Frances asked. "Do you want me to push you through a portal?"
"Eh, I think sending me back to my office is fine. My men will just think it weird that I'm in a pyjamas in my office. I can bear with it. It's you I'm more worried. Do you think … I can spend the night with you? Just you and me? Can this bed even fit us? How about your studies?"
"I can make it fine to college tomorrow, no problem. I use my powers to move from one place to another if I'm in a rush. And … I think I will be Mysterio tomorrow onwards safely as well. Don't worry about me. Now with my head clear and fresh, I can take on anything." Frances smiled back.
"After you graduate, can I offer you a job as a molecular engineer in my lab?" Jon asked and blushed.
"Sure. No problem." She smiled and kissed him suddenly on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you too." Jon returned the kiss with a longer kiss. She pulled him closer to her and covered the both of them in her blanket. They slept indeed for a long night to come.
It was a good end for a (somewhat) long journey of life for Frances.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
The end for now?
Yes. For now, it is. I'm sorry if I rushed it out. As I mentioned earlier, I can't think of other proper arcs for the time being for Mysterio/Frances Beck to go through. At the moment, thinking of herself and her possible background and how she interacts with other people to have her own life was the biggest thing I had for Frances. And for the moment, I'm satisfied with her having someone else in her life so she can be happy.
So, for now, this is it. Till next time ... maybe a better conclusion?