A/N: Disclaimer: this chapter contains gruesome content that may disturb some readers. If you chose to ignore this and continue anyways, you do so at your own discretion. Also note that the rating of this story has changed from 'T' to 'M'.
Ten Years Ago:
The sound of the school-bell ringing was almost music to the ears of the many souls inside who felt trapped. Finally, after a long, gruelling week, they where free to do as they pleased! It was the weekend, and they where now free to hang out with friends all day, to play video games and lounge about to their heart's content.
And Jessica Parker intended to take full advantage of this particular weekend. After all, it was her seventeenth birthday. That wasn't an occasion she was going to pass up lightly. So, with a smile on her face, she practically skipped out of her fourth-period class, and made a beeline for her locker.
"Heeyyy!" her best friend, Sarah Leeman, called out as she slid into place beside Jessica, a wide grin crossing her face. "how's the birthday girl?" she asked coyly, "got any plans for tonight?"
"Oh yeah," Jessica replied enthusiastically as she reached into her bag. "Check these babies out!" she said as she produced a pair of concert tickets for her favourite band, Linkin Park. Sarah practically fawned over them, as she was an equally big fan as well. "Scored them late last night! You in?" she said, knowing she really didn't have to ask.
"Fuck yeah!" Sarah replied excitedly, as she practically jumped up-and-down on the spot. "How'd you even afford these?! They're like a hundred a piece!?"
"Well that's the beauty of having a part-time job," Jessica shrugged absentmindedly. "plus add in a dash of odd jobs around the neighbourhood, and bingo," she smiled, "Two tickets to the hottest thing in this dump of a city! Woo-Hoo!"
"And the Fuzz doesn't have a problem with you going?" Sarah asked with a raised eyebrow. She knew full well that Jessica's police-officer uncle had difficulty letting her go to similar events, given how many times he had to break up concerts for drug use, among other things.
"Well he does," Jessica replied simply with a small shrug. "But I batted my eyes, plus I've always got good grades, and it's on my birthday, so..." the facts had certainly played out in her favour, though she wasn't always so lucky. "It was difficult, but he caved eventually," she said as the two of them began to wind their way through the school's hallway.
"Well sounds like he should owe you a few," Sarah said as they stepped outside the building. "I mean," she clarified, "if what you told me about the little twerp getting bumped up a few grades! At the rate he's going, he might graduate with us! Maybe even before!" Jessica let out a small shudder. Though her Aunt and Uncle hadn't said anything official yet, she'd seen and read the letters of recommendation from the school-board for Peter to skip a few grades, and jump into High School next year. Something which Jessica was vehemently opposed to. She'd worked hard to carve out her social standing with her peers.
"Yeah well that's not happening," Jessica replied stiffly as they came to a stop underneath a large oak tree. "I don't care how many letters they send. I'm not going to the same school as my weird-as-fuck brother. I think I'd transfer before that happens." Sarah nodded in agreement. Because they'd been friends for so long, she knew exactly how much of annoyance Peter could be. He'd ruined outings with friends, parties and other social activities with his mere presence. And things where already difficult because of their shared, special nature. Something which Sarah was privy too, thankfully. She was a good sounding board, and confidante.
"Hey I'd transfer with you," Sarah offered with a weak smile. "I mean, so long as we check out the school first. Wanna make sure it's top-notch."
"The 'school'?" Jessica shot back playfully, "or the boys in it?"
"Well..." Sarah grinned, feigning indecisiveness as she pretended to weigh the options in her hands. "I mean-" HONK! HONK! Their conversation was quickly interrupted by a loud, all-to-familiar sounding horn. Jessica didn't even have to turn around to see who was in the vehicle. "sucks to be you," Sarah sighed as she looked over Jessica's shoulder. "Looks like he picked out the ugliest squad car he could find today. Just for you!"
"That sounds like my Uncle Ben," Jessica sighed with a hint of defeat. "See you later!" she chimed before turning around and walking towards the gawdy-looking police car, much to the amusement of her fellow students.
Of course, her Uncle Ben sat in the driver's seat wearing a crisp uniform proudly. A dumb smile crossed his face as he watched his niece approach. A grin which was matched tenfold by that of her younger brother, Peter. He sat beside their Uncle, with his eyes darting between the two of them, the science book in his lap and the comic book in his hands. And to complete the ensemble, there was god-awful country music playing loudly.
With a huff, she slid into the back seat, wanting nothing more than to slip on her earbuds and day-dream about what her night was going to be like. But knowing the other two people in the car, there was no way that was going to happen. No sooner had she closed the car door than her Uncle turned around and offered up a big, fake, "so how was your day, honey?"
"Fine," Jessica said as she rolled her eyes, just wanting to get out of there.
"What? No, 'It was the best, Uncle Ben! I learned Soooooo much!'?" he chuckled to his own lame joke as Peter gave him a high-five. "No? Not even a sarcastic 'it was great'? Complete with an eye-roll?" he asked, just as Jessica did the latter. "Come on, there's been a small change of plans," he continued as he put the car into drive. "We've gotta swing by the store before I drop you two off at home."
"Why?" Peter piped up.
"Your Aunt got called out-of-town for a meeting at the last minute," Uncle Ben replied. And although his eyes remained firmly on the road, he still turned his attention to Jessica, who's thoughts had immediately turned to her plans for the night. They had practically hinged on her Aunt being there to watch Peter. "I've called Rebbecca to see if she can watch you tonight, Peter."
"Why can't you?" Peter asked.
"I agreed to pull an extra shift tonight," Uncle Ben replied. "Frank's wife is about to go into labour. So I'm gonna make sure he's got the night off. Don't worry," he said as he flashed Jessica a smile through the rear-view mirror. "I've got a few hours until then. Plenty of time for cake and ice cream and presents!"
...xxXxx...
Present Day:
"Wait, wait," Steve piped up, waving his hand through the air as he spoke. "Why was your Uncle picking you guys up?" he asked, as the other Avengers nodded in agreement with his question. "Why wouldn't your-?"
"Parents?" Peter chirped in response, having expected this question to pop up at some point in his story. He had actually expected it to come up sooner. "Car crash when I was seven months old, and Jess was six years old."
"Oh," the Captain replied sorrowfully. Everyone else, even Azari, who sat further back from the rest of the group as he continued to nurse the nasty shiner Jessica had given him, looked down at the floor. Like they where ashamed of something they had absolutely no control over. "I'm sorry, I didn't know and-"
"Well why would you?" was Peter's quick response. "It's not like I have much to talk about them for. For all intents and purposes, Ben and May are as much my mom and dad as they where. Now I-" he said, only to be interrupted again, this time by Hank McCoy, who politely raised a hand. "Yes?" Peter nodded, indicating he could speak up.
"How exactly do you know what she was saying and doing inside the school?" the furred Mutant Doctor asked. "You weren't there, and it was so long ago?"
"Both me and Jess are blessed and cursed with a perfect memory," Peter replied with a small shrug. "plus she talks a lot in her sleep. And she wrote a lot of stuff down. You don't forget days like that," he said, as his tone dropped down a little bit.
"Are you sure you want to continue...?" Jean Grey asked sympathetically. "I mean, I think we'd all understand if-"
"No," Peter replied sharply, with vigour. "No. You need to know the whole story. Start to Finish. You've all told us more than a fair share about yourselves. It's my turn," he said with a small sigh. "Now where was I...the cake. Right."
...xxXxx...
Ten Years Ago:
"Whoa, watch out!" Uncle Ben chortled as the blender he was using began to go wild, threatening to fly off the counter as it mixed it's contents in a flurry of whirling blades. "Almost had to go and change my shirt!" he said with a booming laugh.
"Again," Peter smirked, as he pointed to his Uncle's other shirt, which had been splattered with chocolate icing, thanks to the rapid beating it had taken from a spoon Ben had taken to it. Thankfully it wasn't his police uniform, just and old tee shirt. "You shoulda spun it counter-clockwise! Then you'd have been safe!"
"Safe huh?" Uncle Ben smirked as the blender finished it's session. "What makes you so sure, wise-guy?"
"Newtons First Law!" Peter replied with a huge grin. "An object in motion will stay in motion until acted upon by an external force!" he continued as he helped his Uncle empty the contents of the blender into a large mixing bowl. "You where that external force!" he said as he lightly smacked his Uncle's shoulder.
"Alright, smart guy!" Uncle Ben snickered as he snatched the cookbook out of Peter's reach. "You earned this! Now you've either got to make this entire thing without help...or go tell your sister the party's off!"
"Oh yeah?" Peter said playfully. "Preheat oven to three-sixty. Melt butter in pan. Mix flour, sugar, eggs and-"
"Alright, alright!" Uncle Ben grinned as he locked Peter in a headlock. Unlike with a normal child, he didn't need to hold back. In fact, Peter was getting to the point where he had to hold back a bit, even at nine years old. "You got me there, Einstein!" he said as he released Peter and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're too smart for your own good, you know that, right?"
"Yep!" Peter replied proudly with a nod. "I'm already the top student in my year in the whole district!"
"Well no need to be so humble!" Uncle Ben snorted as he picked up a handful of loose Baking Flour and tossed it at his nephew. "Is it not good enough being the second-smartest person in this household?"
"Second-smartest?" Peter said, taken aback by the insult.
"Second-smartest!" Uncle Ben repeated gleefully. "Who else do you know that can recite the entirety of Bohemian Rhapsody? Who knows all the good lines from Clint Eastwood Movies?" he said confidently. "Me, of course!"
"You?" Peter shot back. "Says who?"
"Says me!" Uncle Ben replied as he picked Peter up and swung him around. "I am the law in this house...only because May's not here...but that's beside the point!" he said as he set his nephew down and put his hands on his hips.
"Yeah well!" Peter grinned as he imitated his Uncle's posture. "One day I'm gonna be the law in this house! I'm gonna be Chief of Police!" he said proudly, as his Uncle's expression changed dramatically. From one of joy to one of slight concern. "You..." Peter said, suddenly unsure of himself. "right? Do you think I could be a cop like you?"
"I ummm," Uncle Ben replied as he stroked his chin, something he did when he was at a loss for words. "I think," he said as he knelt down, so that he was eye-level with his nephew. "I think that you, and your sister, can be anything you want to be, Peter. You're both just that special. You would make a great cop," he said as he clapped Peter on the shoulder. "But something tells me that you two are meant for more than-" his ringing cell phone cut off the rest of what he was going to say. And Peter got to watch as his Uncle's expression changed from uncertain to disappointed.
...xxXxx...
Present Day:
"Well it's all well and good to know where your pretentious sense of honour came from," Azari quipped sarcastically, "but what the hell does this shit have to do with your sister being a crazy bitcOUCH!" he grunted as he was struck by a discarded pop can that Jubilee had side-armed at him.
"Shut the fuck up before I give you a matching set," Jubilee snipped at him, before turning her attention back to Peter. "So he didn't want you to be a cop? Why not?"
"A few things," Peter shrugged as he wrung his hands together. "Mainly he told me that I was too smart for it. He pushed me into Science. I guess he figured I'd do more good there. But I don't think that was the only reason."
"He thought you two might be Mutants," Hank surmised somewhat correctly, "and wanted to save you from the persecution we all get, right?"
"Well, somewhat," Peter replied as he motioned with his hands. "He knew that we where different at that point. He'd know for a few years. But the persecution wasn't as bad back then. And he-"
"Wasn't this just after that maniac blew up a police station?" Pepper interjected suddenly. "You'd think that after a thing like that, he'd have done everything he could to hide the fact that you're so...different. Wouldn't he?" she asked intently.
"It was before that," Peter said, "just before that happened. No, like I said, I think he just thought we had better prospects than police work. I guess he was sort of right. In a way. Anyways..."
...xxXxx...
Ten Years Ago:
"WHAT!?" Jessica practically roared, not able to believe what she had just heard her Uncle say. No. No way it could be true. She hoped that she had heard him wrong. She had to have heard him wrong.
"Jessica," Uncle Ben said in an extremely calm tone of voice. "The sitter called. She can't come in. She has to work tonight." A lump formed in the base of Jessica's throat. She did not like what she was hearing.
"Yeah," Jessica spat back, "she has to work tonight. Here!" she snapped, thrusting a finger down at the floor. She'd worked too hard to go to the concert only to have it yanked out from under her feet.
"Jessica," her Uncle said calmly as he took a few steps toward her. "It's not that simple. It was short notice. Your Aunt didn't know she'd have to go out of town and-"
"Then tell her to come back!" Jessica bellowed as she threw her arms into the air.
"She's an hour away by plane," Uncle Ben said, still keeping his voice down, unlike Jessica was. "And she can't leave. I'm sorry Honey but-"
"Then you watch him!" she shouted, swinging her arm in the general direction of Peter's bedroom. "You volunteered for a shift tonight! Just tell the guy that-!"
"Frank's wife went into labour!" Ben replied in a tone that sounded like he was trying to be sympathetic. Deep down, Jessica knew she shouldn't be mad at him, it wasn't all his fault. But it was just so unfair, and she needed someone to blame. "I can't just ask him to miss the birth of his first kid, can I?"
"Well you're asking me to miss something important!" Jessica screamed back at him as she tore up the staircase, making a beeline for her bedroom. She didn't pay any attention to what she was doing, or she would have noticed how she shoved Peter out of her way, even as the tears streamed down her face. Uncle Ben followed her of course, stopping behind her slammed door.
"I understand you're upset, Jessica," he offered through her closed door. She didn't even look up. She just sat in the farthest corner of her room, hating the World. Hating her Uncle. Hating her Brother. "Look, sometimes these things happen. We don't always get what we want and-"
"Leave me alone," Jessica snapped back.
"I'm doing my best to find a last-minute sitter," Ben continued, undeterred from her hostile attitude. "But the reality of the situation is that there's only half an hour before I have to go and-"
"Whatever," Jessica hissed at him venomously as she grabbed her laptop, and began furiously typing a scathing post on one of her many social media accounts.
"And I need to know that I can trust you to watch-" he said calmly.
"Fine!" she snapped, just wanting to be left alone for the night. Since everything else was ruined, apparently.
"Okay," Her Uncle replied soothingly, "I should be home by four a.m. We can discuss how I'm going to make this up to you tomorrow." there was a brief pause, as he waited for Jessica to say something. Only she didn't have anything to say to him, unless the next words out of his mouth where 'gotcha!' 'fooled ya!' or 'you've been punked!'. Minutes ticked by as she lost hope of that possibility. A feeling of bitterness swelled in her stomach as she contemplated what he'd said. How did he plan on paying her back? It was the last night of the concert, so it wasn't like she could just go tomorrow. And while they weren't poor, they couldn't afford a trip into the next town hosting the band. And it could be years before they came back to Queens.
"Okay," he said softly, through the door. "I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."
"Go away," she replied, refusing to move until she heard the front door click shut and his car pull away into the street. Only then did she open her door and make her way downstairs.
Ben and Peter had done a modestly good job of at least trying to decorate for her birthday. Not that she'd really asked them too. A goofy 'Happy Birthday' banner hung along the one wall, there where chips and dip laid out on the table, all her favourite. And even a select few gifts sat beside the bowls.
She plopped herself down on the couch, knowing that sooner or later her brother would make himself seen. She'd brought her laptop with her, and continued to browse social media. A small tear dropped down the side of her face as she saw that her friend Sarah was already on her way to the show, as Jessica had given her the ticket previously. They where supposed to be sitting together, so there had been no real need to meet up beforehand. A small part of her considered sending Sarah a text, explaining why she wasn't going. But Jessica wasn't quite sure if that was true or not yet. Her uncle had said that he was still trying to find someone.
"Boo!" Peter exclaimed as he dropped down from the ceiling, in a vain attempt to scare her. She flinched slightly, but more because she was afraid he might land on her laptop than anything. The last thing she needed was for him to go and break her one venting outlet. "Gotcha that time!" he smirked as he plumped onto the couch beside her. Close enough to be invading her personal space.
"Yeah," she snipped, not necessarily angry at him, per say.She was just mad because of him. "You got me."
"You're damn right I did!" Peter chuckled as he slapped his hands against his knees. He looked from her, to the presents, then back to her before saying, "well go on!" he insisted, indicating towards her gifts.
"Not in the mood," she sighed as she returned her attention to her laptop.
"Come on!" he said with a mock pouting face.
"No," she replied.
"Please!" Peter pleaded longingly, "One's from me!"
"Well no shit Sherlock!" Jessica snapped back, "I can count you know!"
"Open it then!" he said as he grabbed one from the small pile, presumably his, and placed it in front of her.
"Not in the mood," she half-snapped back at him as she tossed it aside. "Now leave me alone, twerp." She didn't notice, but the gift fell to the ground, and Peter's eyes flashed with dejection. With a sombre tone, he sighed and got up. She didn't watch to see where he was going, only that he'd left the room as she finally made up her mind about what she was going to do.
...xxXxx...
Present Day:
"Wow." Jean muttered softly, "who'd have thought...I mean, from what you're describing...she was a whole different person!" Both Hank and Steve nodded in agreement. Even Azari looked to be somewhat shocked by what Peter was saying. He understood their confusion. Jessica had changed a lot in a short amount of time. It was sometimes hard for even him to remember that she had once been so distant from him.
"Well, she was," Peter replied with a small shrug.
"Yeah, no kidding," Jubilee added in. "No offence, but it sounds like she was kind of a..."
"Bitch?" Peter offered with a raised eyebrow. Everyone present nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she was sometimes. But everyone has their off days. And I wasn't always the easiest person to be around...in fact some people don't think that's changed at all. Anyways I never took much of what she said to heart. Up until then she was always there when I needed her, like a good big sister."
"Sounds like you where lucky then," Hank said as he tried to stifle a yawn.
"Still am," Peter grinned. "Even-"
"What did you mean, 'up until then?'" Azari cut in, as he actually moved his chair in closer, to better hear and interact with the group.
"I was just getting to that."
...xxXxx...
Ten Years Ago:
"You brushed your teeth, right?" Jessica hummed through Peter's closed door. She hadn't actually seen him since she'd brushed him off three hours ago. All she'd heard from him where the sounds of him playing video games, and that was enough for her.
"Yes," came his response. Good enough, in her books. She checked the clock on the wall. It was quarter to ten. His weekend bed-time was in fifteen minutes. And since he was such a stickler for following rules, he wasn't going to dare try and break that one.
"Half an hour," she told herself. That's how long she had until she could feasibly make her getaway into the night. The concert was set to begin in just over an hour. So she did the mental math. There was no way she'd be able to get a cab to drive her in time, so she knew that flying was the only way to be sure she'd be there on time. "Alright," she said, "lights out in fifteen, got it?"
"'K," Peter replied, sounding extremely bored. Accepting this answer, Jessica stepped away from his door and whipped out her phone, seeing that she'd received a message from Sarah. 'ETA?' she'd asked. 'in twenty,' Jessica replied as she glanced towards the clock again, practically counting the minutes she had before she could leave. She pressed an ear against the door to Peter's room. She could hear shuffling, followed by a thwump, which told her he was in his bed.
As the next fifteen minutes passed by, a small part of her wanted to say something then and there, to apologize for how she'd blown him off earlier. And for what she was about to do. But doing so would put her plan in jeopardy. She resolved to make it up to him somehow, just as she shut the lights off and slipped out the door.
She stole into the night, slipping past houses at a speed that could best be described as a brisk jog, until she reached a mostly-abandoned park. Aside from a few drunks, she was completely isolated, and was free to take off into the night sky.
Normally, she didn't abuse her powers like that, given how easy it would be for someone to mistake her for a Mutant. But she weighed the pro's and con's, finding that the benefits where well worth the risks. The wind ripped at her hair as she silently sliced through the air. Not far off in the distance she could see the concert venue, which rippled with lights.
She swung wide to avoid the bright lights, not wanting to be spotted. Instead she opted for a dark alley not far from the venue. Even from the air she could tell it was abandoned, save for a few cats. She was able to land with no trouble, and walked out like it was nothing!
After walking for a few blocks, she reached the venue, presented her ticket and prepared for the night of her life!
Thousands of people where crowded into the venue. Definitely more than there should have been. But Jessica was able to manage without any problems. She'd memorized the way to her seat beforehand, and slipping through a large crowd was no problem for her, especially when she could simply push people out of the way with ease.
In no time at all music began to swell in her ears. A steady beat of clapping hands and hollering shouts filled the air by the time she reached her destination. She cheered beside Sarah as lights began to flash in a wide array of colours.
The party was on!
...xxXxx...
Silence. That was all Peter could hear. Just plain silence. And that worried him enough to get him to snap his eyes open. His irises adjusted almost immediately to the pitch-black conditions, yet another benefit of being whatever he was.
He still waited, wondering if the silence was merely temporary. He counted the seconds in his head, growing more and more concerned as time passed. As soon as he got to thirty seconds he got out of bed. No way anyone could go that long without making sound. Especially when they where supposedly in the next room over.
He slid silently over the carpet, just in case he had been wrong and Jessica was indeed sleeping. He opened his door with only the smallest squeak. The hallway was only marginally brighter than his room, thanks to a small night-light plugged into the wall right next to the bathroom.
He listened closely, hearing nothing coming from Jessica's room. Which to him, meant there where two distinct possibilities. But he cleared that up by simply poking his head inside. Her bed had not been disturbed. Which was both frightening and comforting at the same time.
He bolted down the stairs, hoping that she was still in the living room, possibly asleep.
Nope, she wasn't there. .
He checked the basement, maybe she had gone down there so she wouldn't wake him up?
Nope, she wasn't there either.
Front Yard? No.
Back Yard? No.
He forced himself to calm down. There was a simple solution. He was given a cell phone for emergency purposes. All he had to do was find it, and send Jessica a text message. She'd respond quickly, he knew that.
Setting the phone down, he plumped himself down on the couch and turned on the T.V, to better pass the time. A documentary was showing, covering the existence of meta-humans in the modern world. Several people where debating whether or not Mutants represented the next stage in human evolution. In his opinion, the people speaking had little authority on the subject, save for a balding man in a wheelchair, who's name was Charles Xavier. He was supposedly a world-renowned expert on genetics, and Peter was ninety percent sure he was a Mutant himself, despite the fact that he kept denying as such.
Half an hour ticked by as Peter watched the men go back-and forth in their debate. Facts where presented, disproved and defended as the clock swept past midnight, and Peter grew slightly more concerned.
He pondered calling Uncle Ben, to tell him Jessica was missing. But he didn't want to cause him any trouble at work. And he certainly didn't want to get his sister in any trouble. And it was nice having the house to himself for a few hours. He could watch whatever he wanted after all, which was the dream of every nine-year old boy.
He snacked on chips, drank pop and watched programs that he'd never be allowed to watch if anyone else was home to his heart's content. Of course he was careful to make sure no one would know of his little indiscretion and cleaned up after himself. Of course he put away the cake he and his Uncle had made for Jessica, but he did wrap up a slice for her and put it just inside her door. He wasn't mad at her, after all.
But, looking back at the doorway. He wouldn't have to be, as his Uncle was more than furious as he stood in the foyer to the house. It was a look Peter had never seen on him before, and one he never wanted to see again. Perhaps for the first time in his life, Peter was actually scared of his Uncle. And he knew he had no reason to be.
"Let's go," Uncle Ben said curtly, as he led Peter out the door. Together, they got into his squad car, and Peter noticed a rather nicely-wrapped gift sitting there in the front seat. Most likely some sort of peace offering he had wanted to offer Jessica. Not that she'd be getting it now, of course. As they pulled out into the driveway, Uncle Ben got on the radio.
"George, you there?" he asked.
"Yeah," the voice of George Stacy, Uncle Ben's long-time friend and one-time partner. "How'd the birthday girl-?"
"She bolted," Uncle Ben spat back as they turned a corner. "Snuck out after I left." He paused briefly before continuing. "I'm bringing Peter back to the station. And I was hoping you might be able to send a car over to Broadway Ave, if you can spare it. That's where she went."
"I'll see if I can spare someone," George replied before Uncle Ben signed off the radio. Looking up at his Uncle, Peter could see that he was still fuming mad, in a way that made him very uncomfortable to watch. The two of them simply sat in silence for the next few minutes, neither having anything to say to the other. Peter just passed the time by looking out the window of the squad car at the night sky. It took them a little over half an hour to reach the Police Station.
Peter had been inside the station before a few times. Mostly for surprise visits to his Uncle, as well as two field trips with his classroom. So there was nothing really that new about it. He knew most of the people inside by name. And those he didn't know by name he recognized by face.
Quietly, his Uncle led him into an unused room in the back.
"Try and get some sleep," Uncle Ben said with a deep sigh as he passed his jacket to Peter. "And after I find Jessica, I'll take you two home. Alright?"
"Alright," Peter nodded as his eyes began to droop slightly. It was nearly two in the morning. It didn't take very long for him to drift off into a deep sleep.
...xxXxx...
The music thundered in her ears as the crowd continued to move their bodies to a steady beat. Jessica had wormed her way through the crowd, trying to get closer to the front of the stage. It wasn't that difficult for her to do, she just had to be overly 'friendly' to guys and they gave her a free pass.
She truly was having a night to remember as she waved her arms in the air wildly, completely carefree. In the back of her mind she felt something shaking, but just passed that off as another concert-goer moving past her. Of course she still checked to make sure she had her wallet and phone with her, which she did.
Her partying reached it's peak as she finally reached the stage. She was close enough to the band that if she wanted, she could reach out and touch one of them. An idea which she was seriously considering, until the lights went dark and the music stopped abruptly. A momentary chill ran down her spine as she wondered if her Uncle had somehow discovered what she'd done, and had used his Police privileges to have the whole concert shut down just to spite her. But she dismissed the idea. The worst thing he'd do would be ground her for a month or two, and maybe have her do some work around the community.
But no, neither of those where the case.
"Sorry folks," said the event manager as he stepped onto the stage. Everyone turned to give the man their full attention. "Something's happened downtown. Information is sketchy right now but the Police have ordered a city-wide lock-down. So you'd better get on home before it's too late." A massive grumble rolled through the stadium. Clearly no one was happy with the idea. And they where even less impressed with what came next. "And we won't be offering any refunds." With a heavy, sinking heart Jessica joined the slow ambling line that headed towards the main exit. No one, including her, was eager to leave.
Before long she was reunited with Sarah, who looked to be just about as impressed as Jessica was. The two of them sauntered through the long hall, all the while hearing snippets of conversation regarding the lock-down.
"...brother's in the Fire Department... somethin' about a gas leak..."
"...terrorist attack?"
"...some sort sort of standoff?"
"maybe a big gang bust?"
"Was the President shot maybe?!"
Neither of the girls really listened to what everyone else was saying, they where so caught up in their own little world as they exited the venue and walked out onto the streets of New York.
"Oh man," Jessica said as she stretched her arms back, "aside from that last bit, this has been the best night ever!" she proclaimed with confidence.
"Damn straight," Sarah replied, as Jessica felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Which of course, set off an alarm in her head. She immediately pulled out her phone and her heart skipped several beats. There where seventeen text messages, and five missed phone calls. All from the same number. A lump formed in her throat as she read through them, all of which asked her exactly where she was. As she read through them, she realized that they became more and more agitated and angry.
Apparently Uncle Ben had been able to arrange for a babysitter last-minute. And he had gone to pick Peter up to drop him off. But when he had discovered that Jessica was gone, that had all changed. Now she was in a whole mountain of trouble. "What?" Sarah asked.
"I got caught," Jessica replied with a heavy heart. "And now I'm in for it. I-" she was cut off as six Firetrucks screamed past, with their sirens blaring at full volume. They cut a swath through the streets as they made their way towards their destination. "He wants me to go down to the station..."
"Well," Sarah replied jokingly as she put a hand on Jessica's shoulder. "It was good knowing you! But I'm not sticking my neck out like that!"
"Yeah," Jessica nodded mournfully, wondering if this was the last time she'd be allowed out on her own for a while. "Yeah. See you Monday.
"Yeah," her best friend nodded with a weak, comforting smile. "See you," she said as the two of them parted ways. How quickly this went from being the best night ever, Jessica pondered as she casually wound her way through the streets, to the worst. I mean, it's not like Peter could gave gotten hurt at home or anything, he was supposed to be sleeping. And he's not exactly an idiot who's gonna stick a knife in the toaster. He'd build a robot arm to do that for him. She rounded corner after corner, noticing just how few people there where around her. Which was very odd, for the city that never slept.
In fact the only people who where around her seemed to be walking in the opposite direction as she was. And in a rather hurried manner. But no one was speaking, they where too busy hobbling away from something unseen.
It didn't take Jessica long to find out what they where running from.
...xxXxx...
A single shout roused Peter from his half-sleep. Groggily, he set aside the coat his Uncle had placed over him as a makeshift blanket in order to go discover what was making the racket. For the past two hours, the Police Station had been nothing but quiet. But as every second ticked by the noise level seemed to grow.
He opened the door a crack, just enough to see two officers jog past it, whispering rapidly to one another. Apparently there had been a rather large bust of a Mutant Community hiding in the sewers. With his interest piqued, Peter crept along the side of the wall behind the two officers, wanting to see some of the action for himself.
No less then fifteen people where being brought in. All of them where wearing tattered clothing and worn-out expressions. They where led along in a line by six officers, with ten more trailing behind. The ones in behind where more heavily armed, but the ones in front where clearly in charge. Off tot eh side, Peter could see his Uncle taking down names from a man dressed in full SWAT gear. He was so caught up in his work that he didn't notice his nephew. The two where saying something about there not being enough room in the cells in another station, which was why they where being transferred there for processing.
Most of the Mutants where compliant with the Police. But a few seemed to require more persuasion, via a long cattle-prod like device.
"Move it, freaks!" one of the SWAT officers snarled as he jabbed one of them. The surge of electricity forced the Mutant, who looked like he was no older than fifteen, to drop to his knees. He screamed in pain, but his refusal to comply with the officer's demand was met with more jabs. Which was followed by more screams as more officers joined in.
Taking note of his nephew, Uncle Ben moved to shush him aside. "You don't need to see this," he said as he tried to push Peter into the farthest corridor. But Peter's curiosity got the better of him, and he darted out from behind his Uncle just quick enough to see the same young Mutant rise to his feet with a look of pure rage in his eyes.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" the boy screamed as the cuffs around his wrists grew white-hot. They melted away into nothing as every officer present raised their weapons at him. Even Uncle Ben did so, but not before firmly planting himself between the Mutant and Peter.
"John Alderyce, stand down right now!" an Officer said with distinct authority. "Get on the ground, and put your hands above your head!"
"LET ME GO!" the Mutant screamed as the impossible happened. His hands became engulfed in balls of fire. Everyone took a few steps back, but no one turned heel to run.
"On the ground now!" the officer roared as he cocked the side of his gun. "Or we will kill you."
"No."
The sound that followed would haunt Peter's dreams forever. His eardrums where filled with a powerful roar, like that of a Lion's. A heartbeat later came a powerful whoosh sound, like waves crashing against rocks on the shoreline. His eyes grew wide as an arc of flame lashed out in all directions. Everyone ducked away from it, and those who where not luck enough to avoid it where tossed aside from the shock-wave that followed in it's wake.
Either Uncle Ben was too slow to avoid being hit, or he chose not to move. Irregardless he to was knocked aside, taking Peter down with him. Bits of burning paper flew through the air as everyone tried to recover from the sudden attack.
But only the young Mutant in the centre remained on his feet.
"Are you alright?" Uncle Ben asked Peter, as he pushed himself to one knee. Peter could only nod an answer. He wasn't hurt. But he sure as hell was scared. And so was his Uncle. "Stay right here. Understand?" he said as he cupped the side of Peter's cheek, before getting up and facing the Pyrokinetic Mutant head-on, along with several other officers. All of them levelled their guns again.
But to no avail. With a scream the Mutant unleashed a second, more powerful surge of fire. Heat washed over the entire room as everyone was forced to the ground again. However this time, tongues of fire latched onto wooden desks, loose papers, and even the clothes of Officers.
The formerly calm Police Station turned into a madhouse as the fire-wielding Mutant went on a deranged rampage. Anything he touched erupted in flames, and the very air grew hot as an oven. Police Officers shot at him, of course, but their bullets seemed to melt before they reached him.
"Peter, run!" Uncle Ben shouted as he shoved him along, firing his gun blindly at the raging Mutant. Peter pumped his legs as he tried to break into a dead run. But something flew in front of him, and crashed into the wall, spreading fire to both the wall and the floor.
But what was more horrifying was the fact that it was a man who had been thrown. A man who was now burning alive. His screams where only barely heard above the roar of the flames. But his convulsions where clear as day as Peter ran around him.
Something hot lashed against his back as he was thrown to the floor, with something heavy falling on top of him. The air had grown so hot that he began to choke on his own breath. His skin prickled as he moved whatever it was off of him to get a better look at his surroundings.
The whole station was engulfed in flames. Everywhere he looked people where either screaming in pain, or not moving at all. He couldn't take everything in at once, it was overwhelming. Tears streamed down his face as he spun around, looking for the exit, or a window. Some way he could get out.
But all he could see was an unending sea of fire on all sides.
Something caught his leg, causing him to trip and fall. Hot embers splashed against his back as he looked at what had caused him to trip.
It was Uncle Ben's arm. A section of the roof had caved in. And at the last second, Uncle Ben had pushed Peter out of harm's way as two large beams came crashing down on them.
"No!" Peter cried as he tried to pry the wooden beams off his Uncle's unconscious form. In the back of his mind he could feel the skin on his hands searing off, but he didn't care. With ease he tossed the wooden beams aside, not caring what he wrecked with them as he pulled his Uncle out of the fire.
His Uniform was ablaze, and Peter couldn't pat the flames out fast enough. Not matter how fast his hands worked, it wasn't enough. And before long, the flames on his Uncle's uniform spread to Peter's baggy clothes. Fear encased him as he tried to pull his shirt off. But it was far to late for that.
He screamed an ungodly howl as he felt his own skin begin to boil from the intense heat. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced before in his short life. Desperately he tried to 'stop, drop and roll', but that only spread the flames farther along his body. He convulsed in agony, writhing in the oven that had once been a respected Police Station.
Nothing could be heard over the roars of the flames. No help was coming. No Uncle. No Firemen. No Policemen. No heroes.
All he could do was curl up in a ball and hope that it was over soon.
...xxXxx...
In the span of a few seconds, her entire world had imploded on itself.
Everything that had really mattered to her was swept away as she watched the trails of smoke billowing up into the air.
The whole street was sectioned off by the Authorities as Fire-crews battled what remained of the fire. They had contained it for the most part to an abandoned apartment building across the street from where she stood. Not that it really mattered to Jessica anyways. She tore through the barricade like it was nothing, shrugging aside two burly men like they where rag-dolls in her mad dash to reach the Station.
The street that she remembered with fondness was gone. Wiped clean by the raging fires. A cloud of ash hung in the air. Almost no building was unscathed. Most where completely hollowed out.
But even more worrying to her where the rows of bodies. She couldn't even look at them. She didn't need to. Peter and Ben weren't there. They couldn't be. They where probably in the back of a firetruck, cracking jokes about having a barbecue. Where else would they be, after all?
She could have easily found the building with her eyes closed. Which is exactly what she wished she had done. Because all that remained of the building she remembered was a hollow shell of itself. All of the windows had been blown out. Most of the roof had caved in. And the entire floor was covered in a thick layer of grey ash.
Her heart beat in her chest as she darted through what remained of the doorway. What little that remained of the door was crushed under her heel ass eh spun around, looking for something, a sign that all was not lost. Tears welled up in her eyes as she began to lose hope. She didn't think anyone could have survived that inferno.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see several people, a mix of Firefighters and paramedics, holding back. Maybe they didn't want to disturb her, or maybe they had simply given up hope, like she just about did.
But the she saw something move ever so slightly. The movement was so minuscule that most people would have missed it entirely, but not Jessica. What remained of a desk blocked her view of it, but that was of no consequence. With one hand she sent the desk flying, uncovering the best and worst thing she'd ever see in her life.
Peter lay there, curled up in a ball. He was almost unrecognizable. All of his hair was gone, and three-quarters of his skin was covered in ungodly burns. The only reason she recognized him was a small birthmark under his chin. A birthmark which moved, ever so slightly.
"HELP!" she cried, and seconds later a Firefighter and Paramedic burst inside.
"Shit, this kid's still alive!" the paramedic gasped as he waved for a nearby ambulance crew to hurry over with a stretcher. "pulse is...steady!"
"Kid dodged a bullet there," the Fireman quipped as he helped the Paramedic load Peter onto the stretcher. "few more minutes and-"
"He dodged a whole meteor," the Paramedic replied hastily as he applied a stethoscope to what remained of Peter's chest. He took one look at Jessica, and obviously surmised that she knew who Peter was, at least. "No detectable lung obstruction. That's a godsend," he said as he turned to the two people inside the Ambulance. "Adolescent male. Severe burns over his body. Get him out of here, quick!"
"Any I.D on him?" one of the attendee's replied.
"I'm his sister," Jessica snapped as she forced her way into the back of the vehicle. The man and woman inside did not seem to want to argue this point, and closed the doors behind her.
They took off like they'd been shot out of a canon. But Jessica didn't really take any notice of their speed. She was too focused on her baby brother before her. So weak. So hurt. So vulnerable. And it was all her fault. If she hadn't been so selfish, none of it this would have happened. If she hadn't snuck out earlier in the night, he'd still be soundly asleep in his bed, completely fine.
Instead he was now barely clinging to life through a combination of sheer luck and the skill of those around her. They reached the hospital in no time, and Peter was rushed out of the Ambulance. Jessica followed him for as long as she could, until they reached the operating room.
For hours on end, she paced back and forth, never leaving that hallway, despite how crowded it got during the daily rush. Surprisingly, no one tried to shoo her away. Perhaps they knew why she was there, or simply saw the dark look in her eyes and knew not to mess with her. Time lost it's effect on her. Morning came and went without her even looking at a clock. She didn't even notice her stomach growling until one of the Doctors came up to her and offered her a half-sandwich.
The same doctor explained that Peter's surgery had gone as well as it could have. They had removed any infected flesh and debris from his body, which could now heal itself naturally over time. Which would take quite a while, they had explained. There wasn't enough healthy skin to use for skin grafting, even if their insurance could cover it. She explained that plastic surgery would be an option they could consider once he was done growing, but even that wasn't a sure thing. It would require a skilled practitioner. And skilled practitioners came at a very high cost.
For the most part, however, Jessica kept nodding on and on until the woman agreed to take her to Peter, who'd been taken into a private room away from prying eyes.
When she walked into the room, however, her knees buckled out from underneath her. There, in a hospital bed, lay her little Brother. He was wrapped from head to foot in stained white bandages. She would not have recognized him at all if it wasn't for her Aunt May sitting at his side, looking like a hollow shell of herself.
Together, the two of them simply cried away their sorrows long into the night.
