I'm back! I'll probably let Derek go in the next couple of chapters. Anyways, I've decided to include Derek's partial Changes, but I'm not introducing Chloe and Tori. If you have any ideas on how I should kill this part of the Edison Group, they'd be welcome. No matter how morbid.
Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers. I might be using Derek, Kit, Simon, Andrew and Davidoff for my own twisted purposes, but any resemblance to the books is pure coincidence.
Derek woke up with a massive headache and, of course, cotton mouth. Licking his lips, he wished he had more water. Un-drugged water. Sitting up, he found that he wasn't restrained anymore. He also found out why. Around his neck was a shock collar, the kind made for dogs but with a higher voltage. Not enough to kill, but enough to temporarily paralyze him if he tried getting out.
Getting off the cot, Derek stretched, wincing when he felt the knots in his tense muscles. He didn't know if he could complete the change and that terrified him. Thinking about it only made him panic more. As it turns out, strong emotions trigger his Change.
Derek's muscles began writhing and jerking until he couldn't hold himself up. Falling, he smacked his head against the cot. The writhing made his arm and leg start bleeding again. Howling, Derek started convulsing on the floor. Bones cracked and broke as fur began sprouting on his arms. Screaming, he forced the wolf back into it's cage. It was getting harder.
Realizing what he had done, Derek pulled himself off the floor. His legs nearly gave out as the bones moved back into place. Panting, he sat on the cot and pulled at his hair. He'd done it. He'd screamed. Derek had told himself they couldn't make him break, but they had made him scream.
His past seemed like a nightmare, but they'd made him scream then. What had made him think he was any stronger now?
Alone with these depressing thoughts, his wolf began to speak. Why do you fight me? Why not let me end your suffering and kill our tormentors?
Because I'm not a monster. I won't be like my mother and I won't let them break me. I'm too strong for that… he told the wolf, but he sounded unsure. The wolf-Derek immediately pounced on his insecurities.
But you aren't strong, Derek. You let them take us from our pack. How are you going to protect them from in here? Let me out and I will make us stronger than you could ever imagine.
No! I… am NOT…a monster. I won't let you kill them.
Come on, Derek. Your not strong enough to protect your family. What makes you think your strong enough to protect yourself?
In Derek's lapse of control, the wolf jumped to take over. Gasping, Derek convulsed as the wolf snarled in his head, give in, foolish boy! Blood trickled from his nose as he fought for control. The wolf snarled and pushed harder. Howling, Derek went past the pain and tried forcing the wolf as far back in his mind as he could.
An electric pulse ricochet through his body, making both Derek and the wolf scream. His eyes were glowing when they shot open. The wolf pulled back, choosing to lick it's wounds in peace. Derek's eyes closed as the glow faded. He was exhausted.
The door slammed open as Davidoff came in the room. Derek opened his eyes again and saw the needle he was holding. Flinching, he tried swatting the needle away but an invisible force kept him down. Davidoff plunged the needle straight into Derek's heart, ignoring his yells. His eyes shot open as the adrenaline that had been pushed into his heart took affect. Davidoff smiled at his now aware subject.
"Now, Derek. I need to talk to the wolf. Can you do that?"
Snarling quietly, Derek growled, "No." He could feel the wolf trying to heal. Since it had been mostly in control, it got most of the shock. It was too weak to try again for a while.
Frowning, the doctor replied, "It was the shock, wasn't it? Well, it was necessary to get you two to stop fighting. Derek, you have to change. Do you know how disappointed Andrew is going to be?" At Derek's silence, he chuckled.
"You don't know. Of course you don't. Boy, the minute you were taken from here, Andrew was on our side. After all, his wife died trying to get you out. Why would he care for a monster like you? As soon as your gone, he can kill Kit and Simon." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized it was the wrong thing to say. He'd seen first hand what werewolves did to people who threatened their pack, and Derek was no different. Snarling, he dove for Davidoff.
In his panic, Davidoff sent a telekinetic shove. Derek was flung back against the wall. For once, he and his wolf were in agreement. No one threatens our pack, they howled together. Wounds forgotten, the wolf added it's strength to Derek's as he leapt for the doctor's throat. Slamming him against the wall made Derek snap out of it.
Dropping Davidoff, Derek fell to his knees, panting with the effort of holding the wolf back. Shudders and convulsions made him moan in pain as his muscles writhed continuously beneath his skin. Davidoff scrambled off the floor and ran.
Derek had finally done it. He'd let the monster out and he'd nearly killed someone. Again. Tears ran down his face as he imagined what his family would say. Still crying, Derek stumbled to the cot and collapsed into nightmares. He didn't notice his muscles calm.
xxX Kit's POV Xxx
Kit walked down the stairs after a good nights sleep, thinking about what he'd said to Simon. He really had been proud of him, but he knew he'd have to punish Simon for talking back. It had gotten him in trouble once and disaster had struck. He didn't want it to happen a second time.
Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Kit forced himself to relax. Simon would be fine and so would Derek, as soon as they found him. Kayla ran over to him, nearly knocking him over. She didn't apologize. Instead, she looked at him with tear-stained eyes and cried, "Kit, Derek can't hold back any longer! He's Changing, and he'd bleeding and-"
Kit silenced her by handing her a tissue to wipe her eyes. "Show me," he demanded hoarsely.
Kayla raced back to the living room, with Kit trailing behind. Their housemates were gathered around the laptop, but moved when they saw him. What he saw on the screen made his heart stop. Derek was writhing on the floor, screaming and howling wildly. Blood gushed from a gash on his head as the older wounds reopened. Kit could hear Derek's bones breaking as his son looked at the camera with terror in his eyes.
His skin darkened and Kit's heart rose into his throat when he realized Derek was sprouting fur. His phone rang and he hoped to god it wasn't Simon. He got up to answer it and said in a slightly panicked voice, "Simon, look, I can't talk right now. Your brother is fine, he's just-"
"Relax, Kit. It's Jenna. Listen, I've narrowed down Derek's location to two facilities. There's a fifty-fifty percent chance that video feed is altered, so it's a long shot, but it's still something. I'm watching the feed, too, and I don't think there's enough time to check both. I've already sent the coordinates for them. Be careful, Kit." Sighing in relief, he hung up. Derek would be found. He had faith in Jenna. If she couldn't find Derek, no one could.
Kit turned and made his way back to the living room. He felt pride blossom in his chest when he saw Derek sitting on the cot, breathing deeply. He allowed himself to take out his phone and dial Simon's number. He answered after the first ring.
"Dad, what's up?"
"Jenna found two possible places were they could be holding Derek. It's not much, but it's the best we've got." Changing the subject, he asked, "Which hotel are you at? I'll pick you up."
"Go for the Super 8 near Andrew's house. I'll wait outside near the entrance."
Kit was about to answer when an unearthly howl filled the air. Horrified, he spun around and sprinted to the laptop. It was too late, of course. Simon heard.
"Dad, was that Derek? What's wrong with him?"
Kit paled and murmured haltingly, "He's…Changing, Simon. He can't hold it off any longer, and I can't help him. I can't do anything."
Turning away, Kit turned off the phone and tossed it on the couch. He looked at Kayla, and when she nodded, calmly walked out to the car and drove away. Kayla watched him go, then got in her car and went to pick up Simon.
xxX Simon's POV Xxx
Simon stared at his phone in disbelief. His father had hung up on him. Remembering Derek's howl, he shuddered. His brother was Changing. He and his father had promised to be with him the first time. But now it looked like Derek was doing it on his own. Cursing, Simon punched the wall repeatedly.
Flashback
A twelve year old Derek sat alone doing his homework. Simon came in from shooting hoops and saw the faraway look in his eyes. He frowned. "What's wrong, D?" Derek looked at him and asked abruptly, "What will happen when I Change?" Simon froze and heard his father break something in the kitchen. Rushing out, Kit asked nervously, "What brought this on?"
"Just something Andrew said," he murmured.
Kit's face darkened. "What did Andrew say?" he asked menacingly.
Derek and Simon flinched at the steel in their father's voice. Kit never got angry. Well, not much, anyway.
Stuttering, Derek said, "H-he said it was painful. T-that all your bones break as you b-burn from the inside out. "
Kit looked relieved and worried at the same time. "Derek, Andrew is right. It will probably be painful. But you won't be alone because I won't let you Change by yourself. Most werewolves have family to help them through their first Change, so I'll be there."
"And me, too!" Piped up Simon.
Kit glared at him. "Oh, no you won't!"
Derek interrupted them. "Do you promise?"
Kit and Simon said in unison, "Promise."
Simon grabbed Derek's arm and dragged him outside. "Come on, D! Let's kick the soccer ball around for a while."
Grumbling playfully, Derek allowed himself to be coerced into playing a soccer game. Kit grinned at his son's energy, and just watched. Until the sink overflowed.
End Flashback
Simon turned to go back inside the hotel, but was stopped by Kayla skidding to a stop in front of him. She honked the horn and Simon frowned as he dragged his luggage to the trunk. Getting in beside Kayla, he demanded, "What happened to Derek? He screamed. He never screams."
Kayla suddenly looked sick. Then her resolve hardened and she muttered, "God, Kit, your going to kill me for this… Listen, Simon. I'm not going to tell you what happened-" Simon's face darkened and he opened his mouth to complain. "Because I'm going to show you," She finished.
Simon's jaw snapped shut as he thought about it. If Derek screamed, did he really want to know what caused it? Then he decided. "Show me."
Ten minutes later, Simon was staring at the laptop screen as Kayla pleaded with him to change his mind. When he didn't, she sighed and pulled up the video she'd recorded. As it played, she saw Simon go pale until he was practically white.
Seeing his brother's halted Change scared Simon to death. If Derek was here, then Simon could help him. Erase the panic in his younger brother's eyes. But he couldn't. Simon now understood his father's words. Getting up, he started walking away. Kayla caught his arm. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to go puke my guts out." Kayla recoiled as if he'd already thrown up on her. She hated the smell of vomit. Watching Simon sprint to the bathroom, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd made the right choice.
xxX Kit's POV Xxx
"Hello?"
"Hey, Evangeline. It's Kit. I need a favor."
Ooh, so that's Kit's last resort. Anyone remember who Evangeline is? Just a note, the only reason Derek can talk to his wolf-self is because he has a concussion. It stunned Derek enough for him to hear the wolf. And no, he doesn't have split personality disorder. This is the only time the wolf will be able to speak.
