I decided to leave this chapter as it is. The next scene will be in Chapter 34.
We are so close to the end everyone! (Well.. I'm only getting reviews from one person.. so... 'everyone' is a bit of a stretch.)
The night sky hangs above the Quinjet as it crosses the ocean. The six on board have been silent for the first portion of the trip. Heather stares at the metal ceiling blankly. She was transferred to a gurney the Avengers had stored away. Her leg is strapped down tightly, while she has normal straps across her chest and legs so she doesn't fall off during turbulence.
Josh is holding a handle hanging from the ceiling, standing at Heather's left shoulder. She sometimes looks away from the ceiling at him. At those times, he smiles a little, hoping it helps. She just looks away or closes her eyes for a moment. Josh looks up.
Finn and Jacey are both at their respective seats along the wall of the Quinjet. Finn is watching Heather a little, but averts his eyes when he sees Josh had caught him. Jacey doesn't notice Josh's gaze, but carefully watches Heather's chest rise and fall with a teary eyed expression.
Turning to the front of the plane, he can see August's head poking up from the pilot's seat. No one needs to be there, because Jarvis is sending them to the coordinates programed. But August had sat down the moment they walked on, and has yet to move, or speak. Nikki is in the co-pilot's seat, and she looks around same as Josh a few times, but looks to August most of them. 'She's waiting for what will happen next,' Josh assumes.
The Quinjet hits another pocket of turbulence. Heather whimpers at the sound and movement. Her hand tries to go to her knee. Josh sighs, putting his hand over hers. "Hurts.." Heather says.
"We'll be there soon, okay, Heather? SHIELD knows you're coming, you'll be taken care of."
"Approaching United States border," Jarvis states, "estimated time of arrival, two hours."
Heather's face is still scrunched up more than usual. Josh thinks fast. "Heather," he waits until he looks over at him. "Do you want to know about our abilities?"
Everyone but August looks at Josh. "..Sure.." He looks down at Heather after getting silent permission from them.
He smiles, "Well, I'm the only one that doesn't have any extra tech or abilities. I simply use my martial arts and weapons."
"Just an average Joe on the street?" Heather repeats his words.
He gives her a cheeky grin, "Exactly." His heart breaks a little, missing her laugh. "Nikki, has these gloves that can change an element to a different one, separate a compound into the elements inside it, and.." Heather has a pained look on her face, but is trying to focus. "And other science-y stuff."
"I'll show you later, Heather," Nikki says from her seat.
"Jacey has a clip that allows her to shape shift into anything," Josh continues.
"Not anything," Jacey says, standing up. She walks over, trying to smile at Heather. But she sees the tears in her eyes. Jacey shows Heather her clip. Heather reaches up with her right hand and touches the braided metal with a finger tip. She puts her arm back down, her wrist still healing. "I can change into a different person of my same age, or an animal."
Josh watches Heather's expression as she pieces together Jacey's love of animals with her powers. Heather is less pale than when she was first brought in, but Josh guesses that she's going to be sick from the environment she was in. Her cheeks are flush while the rest of her face has less color.
"..Here, one second." Jacey closes her eyes. She starts to change. She shrinks closer to the floor. Josh goes to her side of the gurney and picks her up. "I'm a kitten!" Jacey says, her voice a little higher. Heather lets a small 'aww' at seeing her friend as a small tan kitten.
Jacey stretches her front paws towards Heather. Josh sets her down on the gurney near Heather's head. Jacey curls up in the crook of Heather's neck. She feels Heather's heartbeat and starts purring. Heather closes her eyes and listens. She doesn't point out she's a dog person.
"Finn is the only one that has an actual power, because Jacey can allow anyone she chooses to use the clip. But Finn's paint ability doesn't come from anything he carries."
"Paint?" Heather asks.
"I can make animate objects by drawing them," Finn says, coming over. He silently waited for his turn. "Any animals or people look like they are made of paper, if you look closely. But I have to be careful to get every part acc-"
Heather had opened her eyes as she heard him walk over. Then she starts to breathe heavily. "Heather? Heather, what's wrong?" Josh asks. Finn stares at her, trying to pinpoint what about him she is panicking about.
"Heather.." Finn takes a step closer, but Heather panics more, so he takes a step back. Josh looks up, seeing August opposite of him. August looks Heather over, trying to figure out what to do.
"Heather.. Talk to us, please," Jacey says. She had leaped away from Heather and changed back.
"..Skull.." Heather breathes. She touches her neck, as if she's being choked.
"Heather, breathe," August says.
"Skull.." She says again, "Shull.. He- he-"
"Finn, I think it's your jacket," Nikki says. Finn looks down at his bright red zip up jacket, splattered with a rainbow of paint. He also touches his face, where red, blue, and green paint hiding his identity.
"Heather," August says, calmly, "is it the color red? Is that what is bothering you?"
Heather nods, whimpering. She's staring at Finn's jacket. August puts a hand on her chin and turns her away. She stares at him, tears falling down her face. "Finn, hide your jacket," Nikki orders.
"But it's also on my face-"
"I think there are some wipes over here," Jacey says. They both walk away.
Heather and August are in a different world for a moment. "..Breathe," he says demonstrating for her. Heather is still gasping. "Breathe Heather," he whispers, "Steve will get him, okay? You're safe."
Heather whimpers, nodding that she understands.
"But I need you to breathe, Heather," he whispers still. "Breathe for Steve. Breathe for the others." Heather takes a deeper breath than gasps. "Breathe for me," he says, so quiet she doesn't catch it. Heather's breath starts to even out more.
"Jacey, can you help?" Josh asks. Jacey comes back and she's nestled by Heather's head again. She purrs as loud as she can, helping Heather calm further. She closes her eyes, focusing on her breathing. Josh looks at August, but his brother is already halfway back to the pilot's seat.
Finn sits at the metal chairs again, sitting in his white t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and accessories. His face is clean and his jacket is stashed in an empty locker he found. He stares at the floor before him, 'Is Thor right? Did my friend come back, or is that someone else in her place?' He wonders.
August stares at the console in front of him, then sees the blinking light. He presses a button next to it, "Go home, Rick. We'll take it from here."
There's a second of static before he hears, "Alright." The light turns off. Nikki looks at August a moment. He senses her gaze and shakes his head; he doesn't know what to do. She turns and sits next to Finn. She takes off her gloves and puts them on an empty seat. She puts an arm around Finn, allowing him to lean into her.
"Go sit down, Josh," Jacey whispers from her cat form, "I'll watch her." Josh turns to the empty co-pilot seat. He sits down and looks at August.
"..You're scared," Josh says.
August sighs to himself, "I'm tired."
"You can't do anything to help her. The Avengers didn't let you go with them to capture-"
"I respect their choice," August says sternly.
"Don't try to hide it from me, brother," Josh says, turning to look at him, "I know you too well."
August stares out at the clouds and patchwork land below them, "She won't die."
"That isn't your worry," Josh says, "What are you worried for?"
August sighs, looking in the rear view mirror. He can see Heather's head, where her chopped hair is tucked between her and the gurney. "What did they take from this world?"
Heather is going to have a lot of things different about her, starting with new fears.
And the fear of red is one of them.
... Ahh sewer apples. I was going to put something down here. I mean, it was a really cool comment! And I forgot it. (Get the reference?)
...
Thoughts on this episode? What you think the team is going through (individually) and etc.?
Hope to hear from my loyal reader!(s, if there are more of you.)
~CtW