Chapter 24
AN: So, thank you so much for such an incredible response to the last chapter. It means so much more than I can say to me. Until further notice I'm going to update very day as I am quiet a few chapters in front.
Even though the feeling of being teleported is strange to Daisy it's a feeling she doesn't mind. Even though it has only been seconds since she was standing in the living room of her apartment Daisy finds that she is now standing on a beautiful beach with her uncle. On one side of her is the ocean while the other is a large grassed area that leads to a pool, spa, outdoor living area, with a firepit, chairs, and outdoor bed as well as a large structure made of white panels.
"What is this place?" Daisy asks her uncle confused.
"A place your aunt and I built for our people," Gordon explains, leading Daisy to where Melinda was when he left. "Sometimes Afterlife isn't the best place for someone, or sometimes they just need some time alone, away from everything home is, so we created this place as a retreat," Gordon explains, talking about Afterlife when he says home.
"Afterlife? Our people?" Daisy asks confused.
"Your Mom will explain," Gordon says as they get to the outdoor bed where Melinda is asleep. "Mel," Gordon says, not wanting to touch her as he doesn't want her to be overwhelmed by emotion. "Mel, we're back," Gordon says, raising his voice a little, feeling bad about waking her as he knows Melinda needs her rest, but at the same time he knows Daisy deserves answers.
"Mom?" Daisy asks, feeling more confused with every minute and seconds later Melinda opens her eyes.
"Hello Daisy," Melinda greats, and Daisy finds something odd about her mother's voice.
"I'll take your bags to the bedrooms, any preferences about which ones you want?" Gordon asks Melinda.
"No," Melinda responds, and Gordon walks away from Melinda and Daisy.
As Gordon walks away Daisy throws herself into her mother's arms hugging her tightly, and unknown to her she has overwhelmed her mother with emotion.
"I'm so confused, I love you so much, what is going on? Has my whole life been a lie?" Melinda asks, and Daisy becomes even more confused.
"Mom?" Daisy asks confused as she pulls away from her mom, having no idea what the hell is gong on.
"Daisy you should sit down, but I need you to not touch me right now," Melinda explains to her daughter, trying to fight the overwhelming emotion she is feeling from her daughter.
"Okay," Daisy says, having no idea what to think, feeling a little hurt, and she sits down on one edge of the outdoor bed while Melinda moves to the other side.
"To get here you saw Uncle Gordon's abilities," Melinda tells her daughter.
"Yeah, and Aunt Kora showed me hers," Daisy explains.
"Good, earlier today I got my ability," Melinda admits. "I am still figuring it out, but it seems like I can sense other people's emotions, but more than that I can feel them, and when I am not feeling someone else's emotions I don't feel anything," Melinda explains.
"Nothing at all?" Daisy asks surprised.
"Not at this stage," Melinda admits. "That might change one day, but for now that is how it is," Melinda admits, after being raised as an Inhuman Melinda knows that predicting the path powers take is rather difficult to do.
"So, what just happened, that was you feeling my emotions?" Daisy asks.
"Yeah," Melinda confirms, with a nod.
"That makes sense," Daisy admits. "But how? How did you get an ability? Why do Uncle Gordon and Aunt Kora have abilities? Who are our people?" Daisy asks as she has a million questions right now and she just wants her mother to answer them all.
"Daisy do you remember the story I would tell you every night, the one you would always ask for?" Melinda asks her daughter.
"The Blue Angles?" Daisy asks her mother, and Melinda nods.
"It's not a story, it's true," Melinda explains. "But the Blue Angles weren't Angles, they were an Alien Race known as the Kree," Melinda explains.
"Aliens are real?" Daisy asks, sounding amazed.
"Yeah," Melinda confirms. "The Kree abducted Humans, used their advanced technology to alter their DNA. Those people, our ancestors begun to call themselves, ourselves, Inhumans," Melinda explains.
"Inhumans," Daisy repeats, trying to digest what her mother is saying.
"These DNA alterations were passed down through the generations, to people like us, and can be activated through a process called Terrigenisis," Melinda explains. "When I was a child, I was taught that Terrigenisis, or going through the mist as we sometimes call it, is like a thousand years of evolution taking place in an instant," Melinda says, trying to use the exact words she was taught.
"Wow," Daisy says shocked.
"Wow indeed. Terrigenisis not only changes you on a cellular level, but it leads to the development of gifts, and sometimes metamorphosis," Melinda explains, and as she does Daisy realizes something.
"Like Uncle Gordon's face," Daisy says.
"Exactly," Melinda confirms. "The gift an inhuman receives through Terrgenisis can be completely different, and multilayered, but I was always taught that even though it may seem like it our gifts aren't random, they are designed to create equilibrium within our species, to fulfill an evolutionary need, and because of that everyone has a purpose," Melinda explains to her daughter.
"Taught by who? Where?" Daisy asks curious.
"Until I was seventeen, I lived at a very remote, very special, place called Lai Shi or Afterlife as it's more commonly called," Melinda explains to her daughter.
"Afterlife, Uncle Gordon mentioned that as we were walking up," Daisy realizes.
"Our ancestors led a revolt against the Kree, they fled from earth and while our Ancestors wanted the Kree to never return they knew that our people needed to continue, but be secret from regular humans, and make sure we didn't attacked the attention of the Kree again," Melinda explains. "Over the years this took many forms, and often than not didn't end well," Melinda admits, knowing that thanks to her mother's experiences and the stories she was told. "But then, over two hundred years ago, my mother, your grandmother founded Afterlife. Afterlife became a place for Inhumans to learn about our heritage and be cultured. Sometimes it's just a place for our people to go when they needed a safe place," Melinda explains to her daughter.
"Did you say over two hundred years ago?" Daisy asks, sounding amazed.
"I did," Melinda confirms. "Your grandma was born in 1766, she went through Terrigen at fourteen years old, gained the ability to age extremely slowly," Melinda explains, planning on explaining the more specifics of Jiaying's powers to Daisy once she has explained a little more.
"Cool," Daisy says.
"Not necessary, there is some pretty serious consequences to moms' abilities," Melinda admits. "She leads our people now, and that's involved a lot of sacrifices," Melinda explains.
"Is one of those sacrifices why I have never met her?" Daisy asks curious.
"Yes," Melinda confirms. "When your Aunt Kora, Uncle Gordon and I were sixteen the Elders, of which Mom is apart of, decided that only two of us were able to go to through Terrigensis at that time, and one of the two had to be Uncle Gordon," Melinda explains. "I knew your Aunt Kora wanted it more, so I told her to do it; to receive her birthright," Melinda admits. "She had a difficult transition, and I learnt a few things I wasn't very pleased about," Melinda says, and she finds it incredibly strange to be talking about this without the emotion that usually goes along with it. "At seventeen, rather than going through the mist myself, I left Afterlife, never went back. I haven't seen your grandmother since I was nineteen," Melinda admits.
"But you told me that you hoped I would know grandma one day," Daisy says surprised, trying to make sense of everything.
"Because I do. I always planed to tell you the truth one day Daisy, when you were old enough to understand and I always intended for that truth to go along with you getting the option to meet your grandmother, to go to Afterlife and be a part of our culture if that is what you wanted," Melinda explains.
"Then why aren't we at Afterlife now?" Daisy asks curious.
"I joined SHIELD to protect our people. Your grandmother wasn't too happy about that, but I thought it was the best thing I could do to keep us safe," Melinda explains.
"Does SHIELD know about Inhumans?" Daisy asks curious.
"Not explicitly; but SHIELD have concerns and uses for people with powers, and I'm not completely sure how SHIELD would react to learning that we exist," Melinda admits, as she suspects that SHIELD'S first reaction to learning there is an entire race of powered people would be panic. "The mission I went on last week, it involved Inhumans," Melinda explains. "Your Aunt and Uncle said that I did the right thing, that I did what I had to do, but I'm not sure believe them, and I certainly didn't feel like I did," Melinda admits, knowing what she should be feeling right now but not. "Because of what happened, even though your Uncle and Aunt tried to convince me otherwise, I don't believe I deserve to be able to go to Afterlife," Melinda explains.
"I may just be learning this whole thing, but I don't think that's true," Daisy comments, and Melinda isn't sure how to respond to that.
"Earlier today Uncle Gordon and Aunt Kora were trying to help me, I didn't react well, and didn't realize that Uncle Gordon had a Terrigen crystal in his pocket. It fell and smashed, and I went through the mist; that's how I got my ability and that's why we are here, so that I can learn control, be helped through the transition and adjust to everything that comes along with going through the mist," Melinda explains to her daughter.
"So, it's been a big day for both of us," Daisy says, and she is a little disheartened when her mother doesn't smile. "Was my biological father an inhuman?" Daisy asks curious.
"Yeah, that's how we met, and we reconnected years later," Melinda explains. "He had the ability to produce and control water," Melinda reveals, knowing that Daisy would be curious about that.
"Cool," Daisy says amazed. "Will I get to go through the mist?" Daisy asks curious.
"When you're a little older, if you'd like Uncle Gordon and Aunt Kora can take you to Afterlife, you can go through the assessments and evaluations that other decedents go through and if chosen go through the process," Melinda explains, knowing that because Daisy is the daughter of two Inhumans, and the granddaughter of Jiaying her chances of being chosen are petty high, even though Jiaying doesn't play favorites the other elders like it when a decadent comes from a strong line of Inhumans.
"How old?" Daisy asks, wondering how long she'll have to wait, and honestly she is a little glad that she didn't have to wait any longer to find out the truth as she is pretty sure that if she waited much longer she would feel pretty betrayed when she finally found out.
"Seventeen," Melinda answers as she has been thinking about it for a while. "Daisy, going to Afterlife, meeting our people and your grandmother, going through the assessment to see if you're suitable to go through the mist, that's a choice that you will get to make yourself. No one else will pressure you, not even me, and if you decide that you don't want to go to Afterlife at Seventeen that doesn't mean you can't change your mind later," Melinda explains.
"Okay," Daisy explains, knowing she's gonna spend the next few years thinking about that.
"And I need you to know that no matter what you decide I will support you; and no matter what I will always love you," Melinda admits, knowing that even if she can't feel it.
"Thanks Mom," Daisy says, with a slight smile. "Can you tell me more about Afterlife? About our People?" Daisy asks, and Melinda starts to explain more to her daughter, and answer her questions to the best of her abilities. Honestly, even through she doesn't feel the emotions Melinda knows she is glad to share this with her daughter. She likes that she is finally sharing their heritage with her daughter.
After leaving Melinda and Daisy Gordon heads inside, he walks into the building thanks to the fact that a entire wall is sliding doors which is open, and into the open living room/kitchen/dining areas. Once inside Gordon walks through the living area and into a corridor which leads to two bedrooms each having their own bathroom, something which is mirrored on the other side of the structure while opposite to the doors Gordon used to walk in there is a door that leads to a room about the same size of a triple garage which he and Kora set up to be a training room, though there is also a few motorbikes and quadbike inside incase people wanted to travel round the island without Gordon teleporting them. Walking into the bedrooms Gordon places Melinda's bag in the room that looks out onto the pool and beach, while he puts Daisy's bag in the room that looks out to a concreated area and forest.
After placing the bags Gordon, who is still holding the bag of Melinda's cocoon and Terrigen remains, teleports away as he knows he has things to do before Kora calls for him again.
Seconds after he left the cabin Gordon has appeared in at Afterlife. Once he arrives the first thing he does is take the remains of Melinda's cocoon and Terrigen to the scientists and then heads to Jiaying's office. Walking into Jiaying's office he finds her sitting at her desk.
"Gordon, did you find the Crystals Eva stole?" Jiaying asks, the second Gordon walks in, looking anxious as she knows how big of a threat this could be to their people.
"There was one left, I found it," Gordon explains.
"Good, is it back with our scientists?" Jiaying asks.
"Technically," Gordon answers, causing Jiaying to frown.
"What do you mean?" Jiaying asks, feeling worried about the answer.
"Kora called, she thought I could help Mel see that she did what she had to do, I put the Terrigen in my pocket," Gordon explains. "Mel got angry when she realized I was in Bahrain and the Terrigen fell out of my pocket, it hit the ground close to Mel, and she went through Terrigenisis," Gordon explains.
"Where is she? How was her transformation? Please tell me she's not with SHIELD, she wouldn't be safe with them," Jiaying says, clearly showing that she is worried about her daughter even though she hasn't seen her in a very long time.
"She's not," Gordon confirms. "After what happened she won't come to Afterlife, so Kora and I took her to the cabin. We're going to help her through the Transition, and to learn control," Gordon explains to his mentor, who is like a mother to him.
Even though Jiaying would prefer her daughter would come to Afterlife she is relieved she is at the Cabin, as she knows it is a safe place, away from SHIELD. "Do you know anything about what kind of abilities she gained? Have they revealed themselves?" Jiaying asks curious, as she knows that it can take a while to show, but for both her and Kora their abilities revealed themselves pretty quickly.
"Yeah, a form of empathy," Gordon answers. "We haven't tested it much but unless Mel is touching someone, and feeling their emotions, she has one of her own. When she came out of the Mist she said she felt nothing. No guilt, no side effects of the transition, nothing. Kora touched her and she felt everything Kor was feeling," Gordon explains.
"Melinda will need a lot of time, and support. Not only will she have to develop strategies to deal with feeling a persons emotions any time she touches them, and it's quiet possible she will be able to sense them just being around someone, but she will also have to learn how to live with experiencing no, or limited, emotions herself," Jiaying explains.
"What are the best ways to help her?" Gordon asks as while Kora is a very experienced, very skilled Transitioner nothing beats Jiaying's experience, and Jiaying proceed to explain all the strategies that have helped others with empathic gifts.
Once Gordon and Jiaying speak Jiaying goes to the other elders and explains what happened. Due to the fact that Melinda was technically granted permission to go through the mist over two decades ago the elders react better, and are more okay, than they would be if it was anyone else who suddenly went through the mist.
Ever since Gordon and Daisy left Kora has been going around the apartment, checking everything to make sure there are no clues about Inhumans or what happened to Melinda as Kora doesn't doubt that the people who care about her sister will do what they can do to find her.
As Kora is doing a final check of Melinda's room she hears the door open and so she walks out and sees Coulson, Bobbi, Mack, Natasha, Clint and Maria, all of them clearly having come from SHIELD, walk in together.
"Hey Kora, I thought it could be a good idea if we all came for dinner, show May that we're all here for her," Coulson explains.
"That's a good idea, Coulson, but um, Mellie's not here," Kora explains.
"What do you mean Melinda's not here? Where is she?" Bobbi asks shocked as the last time she saw Melinda she certainly didn't seem to be in any shape to willingly leave.
"After what happened Mellie needs time; being here's… not a good idea," Kora admits. "Mellie and Daisy have gone to a family cabin. It's pretty far away, and beyond secluded, but is the best place for Mellie right now; it's where she needs to be," Kora explains.
"How long will they be gone?" Mack asks.
"I don't know," Kora admits, not wanting to lie to them more than she has to.
"We'll be able to talk to them right? Call? Talk? Something?" Bobbi asks, as Kora can feel the look Natasha is giving her, obviously trying to figure out what is really going on.
"No, I'm sorry but it's how things have to be at the moment," Kora admits.
"So, what you're saying is that my family is going to be gone, for who knows how long, I can't contact them, and I'm just supposed to be okay with that?" Coulson asks, his voice sounding unbelievably pained, and Kora feels really bad for him.
"I'm sorry, Phil," Kora tells him. "Daisy told me to tell you how much she loves you and Mellie made it clear that she wasn't going unless I promised to explain to you what happened," Kora admits, while the others are around it is clear that she is talking just to Phil. "This is what Mellie needs right now,"
"What she needs is to be with us; her family, the people who love her!" Bobbi exclaims as after being so honest with Melinda earlier she is prepared to be so again.
"Bobbi's right, if May was there for all of us when we needed her, we need to be there for her," Mack says, feeling worried.
"What is really going on?" Natasha asks. "There are things you're not saying," Natasha says, knowing that without a doubt.
"There is, because there are things I can't say. I know all of you are Mellie's family, you're my family too, so you know there are things we don't talk about, things we can't talk about," Kora admits. "But right now, you don't need to know those things. What you need to know is that after everything that's happened lately the best thing for Mellie is to have some time away from here, from everyone," Kora admits. "That doesn't mean that Mellie doesn't care about all of you, because I know she does, it just means that right now this is what she needs," Kora admits, trying to walk the fine line between explaining enough, and telling them what they need to know.
Once Kora speaks Phil takes several steps closer to Kora, it being clear that he is talking just to Kora, and not everyone else.
"Can you honestly say, without a doubt, that this is what's best for Melinda?" Phil asks.
"I can," Kora answers. "They won't be gone forever Phil, they'll come back, I just can't say when that will be right now," Kora reveals, and Phil searches Kora's face for any sign that she is lying.
"Okay," Phil says as while he wants to be with Melinda, and Daisy, he also wants what's best for them.
"Seriously? Okay? That's what you're gonna say?" Clint asks Phil and Phil just nods, it being clear that it is difficult for him to do so.
"I'm gonna have to tell Fury something," Maria informs Kora.
"Say she's on leave," Kora says, cursing herself as she realises that she should have gotten more specific information about that. "Look, you all are family, and I know what you mean to Mellie, and Daisy, they wouldn't be leaving if it wasn't what was best," Kora admits.
"Tell May that I meant what I said, and I'm here," Bobbi says.
"We all are," Mack adds.
"I will," Kora responds. "I should go, but we'll see each other again," Kora admits, and because everyone is so shocked she is able to just walk past everyone and head out of the door.
"So, I think I speak for everyone when I say, what the hell?" Clint asks, as he looks around at everyone's shocked and pained expressions.
After Leaving Melinda's apartment Kora walked for a while, doing everything in her power to make sure no one was following her before she got to an area secluded enough to call for Gordon. After calling for Gordon Kora travelled back to the island is currently sitting with Melinda, Daisy, and Gordon around the outdoor table eating the pizza Gordon collected.
"So, what's going to happen now?" Daisy asks, as her aunt has just finished explaining what happened with the SHIELD agents, and after hearing the explanation Daisy feels pretty horrible, and she realises just how much she misses Coulson, and the others.
"Now, I learn to control my powers, and deal with the transition," Melinda says. While she knows what she should be feeling after her sister's explanation of what happened it feels incredibly strange to not be feeling that. "It might take a while," Melinda admits.
"Can I help? I want to help," Daisy reveals, and as she does both Kora and Gordon feel incredibly proud of Daisy and how she is handling everything. As they are sitting either side of Melinda she feels a faint amount of their pride.
"Of course, you can help," Melinda tells her daughter, Daisy smiles, and the four of them continue to eat their dinner. Once it gets dark Kora uses her power to light the entire outdoor area, just like how she uses her powers to power the entire cabin.
While Daisy has had a lot to deal with over the last few hours she honestly feels okay with it all, as it feels right to know. It's like a void she didn't even realize existed is now full because she knows who she is; and where she comes from.