Invited Intruder
Part I- Filling The Gap

The ride home was uncomfortable and unusual for Jose. The spot next to Raven where he could rest, was now taken by the new... guest. He was scrunched up between the left car door and Cal's body. His cheek was literally pushed up against the cold window. His patience edged it's way up the ladder of frustration ever so slowly. If Cal said one more thing, he swore he was going to snap.
"So, you must be the acclaimed Joe-Say..." Cal said to him, not bothering to correct the pronunciation mistake he made.

Jose bared his teeth, and made a semi-effort to keep peace... for Raven's sake. "Ahem, actually, it's pronounced Ho-Say... the J has a different sound..." he mumbled his next sentence. "...you stupid creature."

Raven glared at Jose. "What was that Jose??"
Cal raised his hand. "No need to get upset my dear, I suppose Jose has his reasons for thinking that I have a lower intelligence then him..." he turned to him. "And, if I must say, I've heard a lot about you, Joe-Say." Jose eyes dimmed their coldness.
"You have?"
Cal nodded. "Yes... I have heard that you have continuously failed Von Riechter, and let the late Cybersix escape from your foolish contractions numerous times." he turned to Raven. "But, I have heard that you did not destroy her, but the most important thing to her..."
Raven looked at her feet. "I failed. I failed with my duty... but I did eliminate her brutish boyfriend. Next time, though, she will not escape!" Raven and Cal smiled at each other.

His usually cool emerald eyes warmed themselves. "I think I'm going to like living with you, Raven."
Jose felt himself climbing that ladder again. His chest become heavy, and his eyes narrowed. He took a deep breath in. 'What's wrong with you, Jose?' He thought to himself. 'This idiot is getting to you...' It was strange. Even though Cal continuously teased him, he would only get mad. However, every time he seemed to make an advance towards Raven... he would get... jealous.

Suddenly, he calmed himself, and casually kicked Cal hard in the shin. "Hey!" Cal flinched and glared at Jose.
"Oops! Clumsy me! I'm soooooooo sorry, X." His voice had no sign what-so-ever of regret.
Raven bared her teeth and looked him hard in the eyes. "Jose, what is your problem?? Stop it!" she was on the verge of teaching Jose a lesson...

Suddenly, Cal's eyes lost their color, and turned all green. Jose and Raven stopped and watched. He slowly lifted his hands in front of his body, and cupped them. Jose leaned in to get a better look at what he was doing. Inside Cal's hands, a small, glowing ball appeared. It was turning around and around, until it had gained so much speed, it turned into a tiny lightning bolt. He suddenly jolted the bolt towards Jose, and it hit him square in the face. It knocked him down, but he sat up, with no apparent damage.

Raven slowly gazed at Jose. "Are you alright??" she asked him in a worried tone. Jose smiled, and tried to speak. His mouth wouldn't open. His eyes went wide, and he felt around his mouth with his hands.
Cal smiled. "There. Some peace and quiet for the ride home." Raven eyed him with a slightly mad look on her face. "Cal, is he going to be okay?..."
"He'll be fine once we get home."
Raven relaxed a bit. "Well, as long as he'll be okay..." Actually, embarrassed as she was, she silently praised Cal for making peace for the rest of the way. Jose was being childish. She had always thought of him as an adult, but she was beginning to see the foolish youth inside him. She touched Cal's hand. "Your powers are absolutely brilliant..."
Cal saw the enchantment in her eyes. He smiled and whispered, "Watch this..." he silently put his hands in the position that you would make a shadow puppet on a wall. He started to move his fingers, keeping his thumbs together. Abruptly, he turned his hands over, and a puff of smoke emerged from his palms... the excess smoke lifted, and transformed into the shape of a raven.

Raven's mouth fell open, and her face lit up in an interested smile. "I have a feeling I'm going to like living with you too."

*****

Raven and Cal walked around the mansion's huge yard. Hand in hand, they talked about experiences that they have had. Of course, Cal's life just starting, he hadn't had much. The stories he told were much more... dark.
He told Raven the whole story of his life and existence. It seemed that creating his power was much more painful then anything that Raven had to go through. She felt no pain at all... of course, that's the way Von Riechter made it; Cal and Jado were experiments... mistakes. His attitude was probably not with the well-being of the creations at the time, but how well he could make them work.

The harvest moon was high, casting their shadows across the grass. Raven continued with the anecdote of how Jose taught her some of her power. "... and then I kicked the bag, and it landed right on top of poor Jose."
Cal laughed. "Oh, Jose is a laugh!"
Raven looked up at him. "Wait a minute, didn't you call him Joe-Say just a few hours ago?"
"Please, Raven... do you think that I don't know the difference between the sounds of H and J? I simply do it to ride him."
Raven became confused. "...why?"
Cal's attitude darkened. "Because Jose is an example of true genetic failure. He may be incredible with his brain, I'll admit, but that many tries at conquering Cybersix and still failing..."
Raven stopped and looked at him in the eyes. "I admit that Jose might have his bad days, but... he truly is the best friend that I've ever had."

Cal's eyes softened. As he held her close, somewhat of a charge jolted through her body. It was almost like when you rub your feet on a carpet, then touch a door knob. "What...what was that?"
Cal kept his eyes closed, not releasing her from his grip. "It's my powers. Since I do black magic, whenever I feel closeness, it acts up."

Raven closed her eyes, her thought racing. 'I feel this strange sensation... it's like nothing I've felt before; not even to Jose. It feels like.... I'm complete.' she then realized that all this time, she had been happy, but still, hidden away was a gap, that she couldn't fill no matter what she did... she now felt as if that gap was full.

To Be Continued...