Disclaimer: I don't own The Gifted.
AN: Still lots of mentions of blood. It'll get away from that eventually! Also, Cecilia Reyes in this fic looks like Rosario Dawson, since the New Mutants movie is going with someone else and I'd rather stay canon with her.
Chapter 4
Talk about a 180. It had been a quiet night until Sage had interrupted Clarice and John, and since then it had become chaotic, messy, and nerve-wracking. Clarice tightened her hold on the side of the van as it roared down some country backroad, heading toward HQ as fast as they could go without alerting the cops.
From her left arm, an IV trailed from her to Ali. The girl didn't have that grey-blue look to her anymore, but she was still so, so pale, it was hard for Clarice to tell if the transfusion was doing her much good.
Clarice leaned her hip against the bolted-down table. Ali hadn't woken up really since they left that store back in Atlanta. She had opened her eyes a couple times but she had only looked around, disoriented and distant, not answering them when they talked to her. She kept drifting back into unconsciousness.
"You okay?" John asked, looking at Clarice anxiously. He had one hand pressed to the wound in Ali's stomach while he kept the other against her wrist, on her pulse. "Are you feeling all right? You're not dizzy or anything?"
"I'm fine." Clarice shook her head. "But we need to get there faster."
"If we go over the speed limit too much we'll get pulled." John spoke louder, emphasizing that in case James made the decision to speed up. Sentinel Services was still out there looking for them, and it was a miracle that they hadn't run into any roadblocks. Sage had called to check on them a few minutes ago, and she had said that most of the search was still back in the city. It wouldn't be long before they extended it, especially with Griffith egging them on. Sage had also said Cecilia was back at HQ and prepping their medical area, so she would be ready for them when they got there.
"Or we could outrun them," James said, not looking away from the road.
"Stay the speed limit," John replied, his voice firm, not leaving much room for arguments.
"I could portal us there," Clarice said, looking down at Ali. She wanted to say that she was worried that Ali wouldn't make it, that the ride was too much, but no matter how quietly she said it, James would hear. Instead, she just gave John a long look, leaving it to him to understand what that meant.
"It's too far," he said, shaking his head, "And if we do that, someone might see it and report it."
"I can speed up," James said, "We're pretty far from the city."
"No," John said, "We can't draw attention to ourselves, and we can't get pulled."
Clarice sighed and nodded, hoping that James would go along with that logic as well. If they got pulled over by the police right now, Ali would probably die before the authorities could get her to a hospital in Atlanta. On top of that, the rest of them would doubtlessly go to jail. Their best bet was to get to HQ, though this speed was painfully slow. If only she was better at her portals.
On the table, Ali stirred, her eyes squinting open for a moment. She blinked rapidly as John switched to gripping her hand, as if he could hold her in that second of consciousness.
"Hey, you're safe, okay?" John said, gentle with her, "Do you know where you are?"
"Where's James?" she mumbled, looking at John uncertainly.
"I'm here!" James yelled from the front of the van, halfway turned around in his seat. "Ali, I'm right here, you're going to be fine. I swear."
"What's going on?" Ali asked, "I don't…" She winced and gave a small cry while above them, a sharp beam of light appeared. It twisted and turned, contorting like it was writhing. It spread out into a spindly star. Clarice noticed that where it brushed against the ceiling of the van, it left scorch marks.
"Ali?" James said, "Ali, it's okay, you're okay, I'm here."
"John, don't let that touch you," Clarice said, still watching the glow and letting go of the side of the van so she could grip the table instead. She kept her left arm elevated, letting the transfusion work. "Ali, you need to stop the glowy thing. You're safe, we promise. James is safe."
"Where…"
"He's driving, we're going to HQ," Clarice said, touching the girl's arm, knowing she was afraid and bewildered. Hell, anyone would be if they were in her shoes. "We're going to get you some help there, but you have to get rid of the laser star thing."
"Ali, sweetheart, I know it hurts, I know," James said, and Clarice could hear the fear and worry in his pseudo-calm voice. "But you have to get a handle on your powers."
"James?" Ali shifted, straining a little against the straps that held her down. Panic lit up her confused blue eyes, but John squeezed her hand.
"Ali, it's okay, I promise," he said, leaning down, his other hand still over her wound. "Just stay awake."
"I…can't." The slowly spinning laser star dissipated back into an uneasy blue glow. A sob broke out of her, and tears trailed down her face. "M'tired."
"You have to stay awake," Clarice said, rubbing Ali's arm.
"Alison Elizabeth Blaire, you better listen to them," James put in, a razor edge to his words, "You have to. Don't you dare fall asleep again."
Ali's eyes sparked just a little and she nodded. Clarice reached out and gently brushed her hand over the girl's hair before wiping away her tears. "We're going to take care of you both, I promise."
Ali leaned her cheek against Clarice's hand and half-closed her eyes. She looked so young, a lot younger than eighteen, and Clarice wished she could take all that pain and fear away from her. She looked up and over at John, who looked tense and worried. It wouldn't take too much longer to get to HQ, but it felt like it was taking forever. This shouldn't have been happening.
If the laws weren't the way they were, Ali wouldn't be in this situation. She and James would've both been high school seniors, applying for colleges and prepping for scholarships and spending their last year being stupid kids. Not out antagonizing some anti-mutant scumbag and getting shot in the process. Still, they shouldn't have been doing that anyways, no matter the reason.
James pulled onto the dirt road that led up to the abandoned bank, and the moment they were off the pavement, he slammed down on the gas. Clarice swayed and had to grab the table, and John reached across Ali to catch her arm, holding her up.
"James," John snapped, "Slow down."
"I will in a minute." The van fishtailed a bit as it tore up the driveway, gravel spitting behind it. The wave of fear that hit everyone caught them for a split second before the lookout realized who they were and stopped. The gate was pulled back in preparation, and the van nearly jumped the speed bump that was in front of it.
"You're going to hurt her if you don't slow down," John warned, letting go of Clarice's arm, fingers trailing down her sleeve.
James didn't say anything, but he slowed down just a little as the van roared up to the front of HQ. He parked it as close to the steps as he could get without actually driving up them. While James jumped out of his seat, John reached over and slid the needle out of Clarice's arm. They had a tiny blood bank inside, so if Ali needed more, Cecilia already had it ready.
James rushed to Ali's side and scooped her up, holding her against his chest. "Hey, hey, Ali…" He plucked the IV bag off its hanger and held it along with her, his eyes wild since she had dropped into unconsciousness again.
Clarice did feel a little faint now, but she powered through it, ripping a portal open in the back of the van that led straight to Cecilia's infirmary. "Go," she said, "Hurry!" Giving all that blood to Ali had taken more out of her than she realized. James rushed through, followed up John and finally Clarice. Her leg buckled as she stepped through, and John caught her by the waist, hauling her up against his side.
"You need to eat something," he said, "And rest."
"Later," she said, looking around the room.
If Cecilia had been at all startled by a portal opening up in the infirmary, she didn't show it. Instead, she was focused on Ali, moving with efficient speed, cutting off the girl's shirt and getting right to the wound. Shaan, a relatively new arrival who had been working on his nursing degree before going on the run, was assisting her by hooking Ali up to some monitors they had scrounged from some discard sale.
"I need you all out of my OR," Cecilia said, glancing up for a second at Clarice and John, "I need to focus. This is…It's going to take some time."
"I'm staying," James said, his hand tight around Ali's.
Cecilia's eyes landed on him, sympathetic but unyielding. "The best thing you can do for her right now is let us work. Okay?"
James started to shake his head, to get a tighter grip on Ali's hand, but John wrapped a hand around his upper arm, giving him a gentle tug. "Let's give them some room," he said, quietly, as he pulled James toward the door.
For a second, it looked like James might try to fight John right there, but finally nodded. He reached over and brushed his knuckles against Ali's cheek. "Don't leave," he pleaded, his voice catching. Straightening up, he stormed out of the room, but Clarice could see the shine of tears in his eyes. The kid was terrified. And he had every right to be.
"Keep us updated, please," John said, looking at Cecilia.
She nodded back to him, and Clarice and John headed out, closing the infirmary door behind them. John started to run a hand through his hair and then stopped. She realized he was staring at the blood on his hands, the spatters trailing up his wrists. He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering himself. "We should find James. And get you something to eat."
Clarice sighed. He always worried about her. "We can bring James something to eat, if we're doing that."
They all needed coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
