"Tell me the truth; am I going to be stuck here for a few hours, days or weeks?" I asked as Kat gently pressed her open palm against my side and when I winced she frowned slightly. "Not good huh?" I muttered as I rubbed my sore side and she gave me a reassuring smile.
"Sorry but you'll be stuck here for a few more days. Possibly a week depending on how long it takes your cracked rib to repair itself. So no fighting for you right now." Kat explained and I sighed, looking down at the floor as I wondered what I would do. Then Jason walked in and I looked up at the sound of his voice.
"Huh you get sidelined which means you don't have to risk your life...and that upsets you?" Jason asked as he moved to my side, setting his hand down on my shoulder and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"But I like to fight. If I'm stuck here I can't do that, plus how do I go to school?" I complained and Jason chuckled, finding the pout on my face pretty amusing. "You're not helping you know." I added and Jason rolled his eyes towards the ceiling before he gave me a one-armed hug. I admit that that made me feel a little better but as we walked into the hallway I couldn't help sighing again as I saw Max and Steel heading towards the hangar, probably going home or to school and I cringed suddenly.
I can't believe I'm disappointed that I can go back to school, I thought as I stood beside my boyfriend. Wow I still can't believe that we're an unoffical couple, I thought and that brought a very small smile to my lips.
"Are you going to share your thoughts or am I going to be left in the dark? Once again." Jason joked and I giggled, reaching down and intwining my fingers with his. I suppose I shouldn't be complaining since I faced down Dredd and survived with just a cracked rib but after only about an hour of sitting on my bed, the one in my dorm of course, I was bored stiff.
Unfortunately Shock was subjected to my rant since Commander Forge had asked Jason to help search for Dredd, who had disappeared after our battle. I was pretty happy knowing that Forge had finally decided to trust my new boyfriend and as he walked away I noticed a grin on Jason's face.
"I know you're bored but look on the bright side...at least you don't have to face Dredd any time soon." Shock said as he hovered over my bed and I groaned, lying back and he rolled his eye at me. "Well I tried."
"I can't help it...sorry Shock." I sighed and he grinned at me as I lay there, staring up at the ceiling. "My side hurts." I mumbled as I shifted onto my left side and that helped a little as the pain dulled. "Better...I suppose." Trying to work out how to cheer me up, or at least stop me complaining, Shock flew back and forth over the bed until he had an idea.
"Jessie how about we...Jess?" He said as he flew closer only to find that I'd fallen asleep and he rolled his eye at me. "Well at least she's stopped grumbling." He muttered before he reached down and covered me with a blanket.
Since I didn't need him right now, Shock decided to see how his friends' search for Dredd was progressing and as he left the room, closing the door as quietly as possible I sighed in my sleep. At some point I woke for a little while, my side still aching and as I lay there I wondered just where Shock had vanished to. Pretty soon though I began to feel sleepy again and less than a minute I fell into a light doze.
"How is Jessie?" Jason asked as he followed Shock towards my dorm and when the Ultralink crossed his arms, Jason shrugged. "I'm curious." He added and Shock finally nodded as he unlocked the door, allowing the former villian inside before he closed the door quietly behind him.
The moment they found me lying on my side, tangled up in my blanket and still out cold they both chuckled. "Well that answers that." Jason said, keeping his voice low so I didn't wake and as he sat on the edge of the bed I mumbled something unintelligable as I shifted, trying to get comfortable. "Wonder what Jessie just said." He whispered as he reached over and just as his fingers touched my forehead I whimpered.
"What did you do, Naught?" Shock started to growl and Jason shook his head, confused as I gasped. "Wait hang on, I'll check." He muttered as he linked with me and after a few seconds of scanning he blinked. "Her mind's racing...maybe she's having a bad dream."
Then I cried out, my body jerking and as they watched my eyes glowed. At the last second both guys realized I was about to let loose a Turbo flare and before Shock or Jason could move I screamed, my Turbo powers engulfing the room and making it glow green very briefly. When Jason uncovered his eyes, blinking a little from the light he stared down at me as my eyes shot open. Shaking a little my eyes shot from one end of the room to the other before they settled on Jason, who rubbed his eyes.
"Jason...what just happened?" I whispered as I tried to move, only to gasp and clutch my side and instantly he moved over.
"Nothing everything's fine." Jason answered as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and carefully pulled me closer. Resting my head against his chest I willed myself to stop shaking, not wanting him to see how weak I was. "You're really powerful...I like that in a woman." He whispered and I raised my head.
"Is that the only reason you like me?" I asked as I sat beside him and he frowned for a long moment, giving me a confused look and I shook my head. "I didn't mean that...I'm just in pain right now and a bit frustrated about being stuck at N-Tek." I explained as I rubbed my side and Jason gave me a tiny smile.
"Do you want the truth?" Jason suddenly asked me and I gave him a nod as soon as the question caught up with my brain. "Well..to tell you the truth I've been thinking about you for about a week now."
"Okay that sounds kinda creepy." Shock suddenly piped up and I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth, surpressing a giggle as Jason glared at my best friend. "Well it does."
"Its not like that. I meant that I was impressed when I saw you fighting against Mega Elementor. At the time I was working for Mr Dredd I spent countless hours studying you and learning your strengths and weaknesses." Jason explained as I shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable as my side started to ache. "And it was because he made me." He added as Shock crossed his arms in front of the genius ex-villian.
"What did you find out?" I asked as I sat there and he gave me a slight smile before he answered.
"Well you're main strengths are the modes you and Shock can utilaze to fight Mega Elementor, Extroyer...Master Dredd. That and the ability to adapt to any given situation." He said and I grinned at him. "Your weaknesses however are your recklessness, temper and being seperated from your Ultralink...who doesn't seem to like me right now." He added and I giggled when I noticed Shock glaring at him.
"Shock he's just being honest. Besides I am pretty reckless and...what about my temper?" I asked narrowing my eyes and he pretended to adjust his tie, not looking at my face. "Huh like you're any better." I snorted and he gave me a confused look.
"What are you talking about? I have no weaknesses." Jason shot back and I rolled my eyes at him, crossing my arms against my chest.
"Yeah right. What about your inability to fight, your 'I'm smarter then you' attitude and your epic fails against either me or Max Steel?" I replied grinning from ear to ear and it was his turn to roll his eyes towards the ceiling.
"Excuse me but you have Turbo powers and without them you'd been helpless against me." Jason growled as he leaned in, sneering at me and I narrowed my eyes. "Can't take the truth huh?" He muttered as he sat there staring at me.
"That's not the truth. Besides even in my street clothes I could wipe the floor with you." I replied and without a word Jason stood up and walked towards the door of my room. Without even glancing at me he opened the door and once in the corridor he shut the door, leaving me very confused as to why he walked out on us.
"Okay that was weird." Shock commented in the silence that followed and I finally sighed, having realized that I'd just insulted my friend and maybe something more. Seeing me hang my head, suddenly miserable Shock flew down and hovered just above the bed. "Hey its okay, he'll come back."
"I shouldn't have been so rude. Now he probably thinks I'm a selfish jerk." I whispered laying back and it was Shock's turn to sigh, knowing that he'd been pretty mean too. By the time he figured out what to say I was lying on my left side and once he heard me quietly sniffing he knew that I was really upset. "And an idiot." I sniffed as I buried my face in the blanket nearby.
"I'm sure he doesn't. Look its probably new to Jason being here at N-Teka and not being in constant fear for his life. Besides he obviously likes you or he wouldn't have kissed you." Shock pointed out as I lay there and after a while, and getting no repsonse from me he flew closer and hovered over my head. "Jessie?" He whispered as he nudged me and I sighed, having pretty much fallen asleep and he rolled his eye at me. "I'll let you sleep but just remember what I said." He said as he pulled one of my blankets over me and as he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him, he gave me a slight smile.
As Jason wandered the corridors of N-Tek, he couldn't help fuming about my earlier comments.
Who does she think she is insulting my abilties like she's better than me, he thought glaring down at the floor. Completely focused on his anger and a little hurt he didn't see Shock until he almost walked into the Ultralink.
"Huh?" He said looking up suddenly and the moment he saw Shock hovering level with his face he snorted and turned around, only for Shock to follow him. "What do you want?" He growled and Shock sighed.
"Look Jessie didn't mean what she said. She's just confused about her feelings for you and with her rib still healing its making her a little..." Shock trailed off, struggling to find the right word and that's when the ex-villian finished for him.
"Hurtful?" He asked, his lips curling into a sneer and Shock narrowed his eye, clearing not likely where this converstaion was heading.
"Just hear me out, okay?" Shock asked and Jason motioned with his hand to continue. "Jessie sometimes says the wrong thing when she's in pain or stressed and she doesn't really mean it. The fact is she really likes you and believe it or not she does have a crush on you." He explained and getting a wide-eyed stare he kept talking. "That's why she keeps blushing and you do remember that she did kiss you back."
"Yes I guess that's true. Then why say I'm...well a loser as she so eligantly put it?" Jason asked and Shock frowned slightly as his friend, he supposed it was possible, stared back.
"Jessie didn't want to seem frail and helpless in front of you. Its kind of an ego thing with her. I mean she is the only other Turbo user in this city and possibly the world so she needs to think she's special." Shock tried to explain to Jason who glanced back at my dorm room for a long moment.
"But she is special. At least to me." Jason whispered as he stared at my door and Shock finally understood that this human did care about me. He just had a funny way of showing it.
I hadn't intended to be so mean but my frustration at being side-lined had taken a toll on me and even with the knowledge I needed to stay put or my rib would never repair itself didn't make me any easier to deal with. As both Shock and Jason, heck the whole of N-Tek, soon found out.
