Then He Left - Part 2
Part 2: Searching and Loss
Shalimar:
Frustration, anger and fear threatened to overwhelm the feral as she stalked out of the room, leaving the arguing men and the silent Emma behind. She heard Adam's feeble plea to her to come back, but she ignored it, nothing was as important as finding Jesse. She could not understand what had happened, one day they were a team, all of them, then this. She could see the effects of this event on the team everything was falling apart. She knew she wasn't helping matters, running off to find him, but what else could she do.
People think ferals are just stronger, faster and a bit better senses, due to their animalistic natures, but Shalimar knew it went further, her senses were not just a bit better, they were far beyond anything a normal human could have. Her sight was unerring accurate, her hearing crystal clear even for the faintest sounds but now more than ever she relied on her sense of smell. To her, smells were tangible, she could smell scents long after the person or subject had left the area, able to gauge where they had gone, how fast, if they were scared or not. Sometimes this ability was a curse, like in the lounge room. She could smell her own anger and frustration; she could smell Brennan's frustration with Adam, his fear for Jesse. Adam smelled of fear and worry, his fear not only for Jesse but also for the team she reasoned, his worry about how Jesse was coping. Emma smelled of guilt, she didn't understand this, why would Emma feel guilty, she hadn't done anything to feel guilt. Right now she didn't care, the smells in the room only fed her anger over no one doing anything to find her young friend.
She approached his room, its uncharacteristic disorder, the unusual emotions she could smell faintly coming from Jesse's lingering scent, confusion, fear, hate and strongest anger. What had happened to cause her good-natured friend, always trying to cheer her up with their friendly banter, to react this way? What had driven him off?
She looked around the room, trying to find any clue to where he was going, but could not see anything. She ran from the room, deciding to following his scent, her abilities rivalling the best bloodhounds, she would find where he went, she would bring him back. Following his scent, she ran from Sanctuary, his scent constantly fading and growing stronger. Shalimar's fear for him grew, replacing her anger at her friends inside, what was causing him to loose his hard-fought control over his phasing, she knew it was dangerous for him, but out here, from what she could tell he had been phasing and massing with no apparent pattern.
Her thoughts distracted her, unconsciously following the scent, dodging trees the scent seemed to go straight through, jumping over crushed logs and stones all the time, as she regained her focus, she willed herself to go faster. The faster she went the sooner she would find him, the sooner she would know he was safe. In her mind, her heart, the only thing that mattered was that he was safe.
The City:
Jesse slept, dreams not invading his rest once, until the car reached the city. Had he been awake, he would have seen the impressive skyline rise up on the horizon, highlighted by the lights in the buildings.
As the car entered the city, the woman in the car shook his shoulder gently, he awoke with a start, causing his seatbelt to pull him back into his seat. The woman chuckled, "Sorry, but I thought you would like to know we are at the city"
"Thanks", he mumbled, rubbing the weariness from his eyes. The earlier emotions had all faded, leaving him numb, his mind attempting to cope with everything that had happened. He wondering which was better, the overwhelming anger and frustration, the feelings of betrayal or the current numbness he felt. Right now, he couldn't care about anything, his only thoughts being how to avoid the team, in case they were looking for him.
"Where can I drop you?" the woman interrupting his thoughts, seeing the obvious change in his demeanour from when she had picked him up. She was worried for the boy, he looked just into his twenties, but to her, he reminded her of her youngest grandson, just as vulnerable, but she knew that this boy she couldn't protect or help. He did not seem the type to suddenly open up to her so she opted for just being helpful while he was with her.
Looking out of the window, Jesse recognised the part of the city they were in, it was one of the warehouse districts on the outskirts. He thought this was a good place to become lost for a few days, while he decided what to do.
"Just here, would be fine" he answered.
"Are you sure, there isn't much round here apart from the warehouses" the old woman asked, a bit surprised by this.
"This will be fine, I know my way about here."
"Okay, if you are sure" the woman said, bringing the car to a stop.
He nodded, reaching round he picked up his bag, and opened the door. As he was stepping out he went into his pocket and took out some money, he attempted to give it to the woman, for any trouble he had put her too.
The woman shook her head, "No, son. You look like you need that more than me, and it was no trouble to me", as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Thank you, I appreciate the lift here" he said, surprised by the woman's generosity towards him.
"Just take care of yourself, young man", she said as he closed the door.
He nodded again to her, and waved as she drove off. He stood there, a lone figure in the street, the large warehouses towering over him. 'Well this is home for a while', he thought to himself as he picked up his bag and walked over the road, going between two of the warehouses. He was hoping to find an older, abandoned warehouse to stay in for a while. To him, it made sense, the more he stayed out of populated areas, away from people, the less chance anyone could recognise him, the less chance the team would find him. He felt exhausted, he didn't know how long he could hide but he could not face the team, not now, maybe not ever.
He continued walking, not fast, just ambling along, for the first time in a long time, he did not have responsibilities or duties, he was free from everything, the sky overhead was cloudy, the rain the old woman had mentioned had not come yet, but it looked as though it would soon.
A gunshot cracked, the sound unmistakeable in the surrounding statement. On instinct, Jesse hit the ground, looking round for the shooter or their victim. Another shot went off, he realised it was coming from back the way he came. Cursing about how things always seemed to happen around New Mutants, he took off running for the road.
Reaching the road, he cautiously looked round for the occurrence. About three hundred yards down the road, he saw the old woman's car, it was stationary, a group of people surrounding it. Running towards the situation, he saw the old woman get dragged from the car by one of the larger men. The man ripped her gun from her hand, throwing it onto the ground. He threw the old woman to the ground. The whole group laughed, as the woman attempted to get up, a young woman in the group kicked her in the stomach, flipping her over onto her back, the old woman curling up into a ball attempting to protect herself.
Jesse's anger grew, his own anger from earlier returning, added to by the scene in front of him, he threw his bag to the side, running as fast as he could towards the group. There were about eight people in the group, but all of them had a slightly drunken sway to their motions, the eyes a bit glassy, he saw this as he approached.
One of the youngest picked up the gun. He fondled it, a wicked gleam forming in his eyes, his sickly voice could clearly be heard, even by Jesse who was still fifty yards away, unnoticed by the malevolent group, "The bitch was going to shoot us, why not return the favour, a bit of poetic justice, you know"
The group laughed as he aimed the gun at the woman. The next gunshot shot was punctuated by the scream of the woman as the bullet ruptured her right knee, the kneecap completely smashed, the bullet passing through ripping the tendons and ligaments to shreds, blood splashed over the woman and the closest members of the group. The group began mocking the woman's screams as she attempted to stop the bleeding in her knee, her face paling to pure whiteness as she realised the depravity of the group.
The scream was a beacon to Jesse, giving him that extra bit of adrenalin, he ran faster than he ever had. Without thought, he phased completely though the outside members of the group, a mere blurry image as the people stood laughing. Another shot went off, this time into the woman's chest, her chest exploded, the shot going straight into her heart, the large calibre bullet leaving now chance of survival, her blood went everywhere, its sticky substance coating the group, a large pool of it forming round the woman.
This broke all of Jesse's control, then as easily as he had phased, he massed out crashing into the gun-toting maniac. The laughter of the group went into stunned silence, as Jesse, fully massed out, impervious to the single shot the man fired at him, went straight into the man, his increased mass propelling the man along with him. The two crashed into a nearby lamppost, the post crashed to the ground, taking both Jesse and the man to the ground. A sickening crunch was heard as the man's spine was crushed, his ribs broken being compressed into his lungs as he was pressed between the post and the massed form of Jesse. Jesse in a full fit of rage didn't hear any of this, he sprung back off the man, turning to face the rest of the group. Rage was plastered across his face, one of the large men charged at him, Jesse phased out, the man crashing straight through him stumbling. Jesse remassed, his fists crashing into the man's lower back. Again a sickening crack was heard as the man's pelvis and lower spine was crushed. The man, unable to hold himself up fell to the ground as he passed out from the pain.
Somewhere in the back of Jesse's mind, he realised that his abilities were on full automatic, coming out on reflex, none of his usual concentration required, the usual limits on his massed out form not applying. Unconsciously he noted all of this, but his conscious mind paid no attention, his rage overwhelming everything, even now, as he saw the woman's body, twisted and broken in death, his rage increased, rational thought was completely expelled from his mind.
The remaining six people looked at the furious Jesse, his form tensed ready for their move, his visage like that of the angel of death, his longish hair and fair skin almost duplicating the old images of angels, but no angel had ever had the look of rage in their eyes like Jesse.
Three of the group took to their heels, running as fast as they could away from the deadly mutant. Grimly, Jesse smiled, not his usual, half-crooked smile, but an evil smile one that only had one meaning. The three remaining people and Jesse stood locked in a bizarre diorama, each watching the others to see who would move first as the running footsteps faded away.
Sanctuary:
Emma screamed as she attempted once again to contact Jesse, his anger, his towering rage forming a wall of fire in her mind as she attempted to touch him. She kept screaming, the fire threatening to overwhelm her defences. Both Adam and Brennan came running into the lounge room as Emma collapsed, her body going limp, slumping into the chair she was in, all tension going from her face, leaving her looking like a lost angel. The only sign of any tension in her was the death-like grip she maintained on Jesse's inactive ring.
Adam and Brennan both ran to her side, trying to check if she was alright and ascertain what had happened. This was how the three were found as Shalimar returned from her search empty-handed, her frustration evident and her anger tangible.
Part 2: Searching and Loss
Shalimar:
Frustration, anger and fear threatened to overwhelm the feral as she stalked out of the room, leaving the arguing men and the silent Emma behind. She heard Adam's feeble plea to her to come back, but she ignored it, nothing was as important as finding Jesse. She could not understand what had happened, one day they were a team, all of them, then this. She could see the effects of this event on the team everything was falling apart. She knew she wasn't helping matters, running off to find him, but what else could she do.
People think ferals are just stronger, faster and a bit better senses, due to their animalistic natures, but Shalimar knew it went further, her senses were not just a bit better, they were far beyond anything a normal human could have. Her sight was unerring accurate, her hearing crystal clear even for the faintest sounds but now more than ever she relied on her sense of smell. To her, smells were tangible, she could smell scents long after the person or subject had left the area, able to gauge where they had gone, how fast, if they were scared or not. Sometimes this ability was a curse, like in the lounge room. She could smell her own anger and frustration; she could smell Brennan's frustration with Adam, his fear for Jesse. Adam smelled of fear and worry, his fear not only for Jesse but also for the team she reasoned, his worry about how Jesse was coping. Emma smelled of guilt, she didn't understand this, why would Emma feel guilty, she hadn't done anything to feel guilt. Right now she didn't care, the smells in the room only fed her anger over no one doing anything to find her young friend.
She approached his room, its uncharacteristic disorder, the unusual emotions she could smell faintly coming from Jesse's lingering scent, confusion, fear, hate and strongest anger. What had happened to cause her good-natured friend, always trying to cheer her up with their friendly banter, to react this way? What had driven him off?
She looked around the room, trying to find any clue to where he was going, but could not see anything. She ran from the room, deciding to following his scent, her abilities rivalling the best bloodhounds, she would find where he went, she would bring him back. Following his scent, she ran from Sanctuary, his scent constantly fading and growing stronger. Shalimar's fear for him grew, replacing her anger at her friends inside, what was causing him to loose his hard-fought control over his phasing, she knew it was dangerous for him, but out here, from what she could tell he had been phasing and massing with no apparent pattern.
Her thoughts distracted her, unconsciously following the scent, dodging trees the scent seemed to go straight through, jumping over crushed logs and stones all the time, as she regained her focus, she willed herself to go faster. The faster she went the sooner she would find him, the sooner she would know he was safe. In her mind, her heart, the only thing that mattered was that he was safe.
The City:
Jesse slept, dreams not invading his rest once, until the car reached the city. Had he been awake, he would have seen the impressive skyline rise up on the horizon, highlighted by the lights in the buildings.
As the car entered the city, the woman in the car shook his shoulder gently, he awoke with a start, causing his seatbelt to pull him back into his seat. The woman chuckled, "Sorry, but I thought you would like to know we are at the city"
"Thanks", he mumbled, rubbing the weariness from his eyes. The earlier emotions had all faded, leaving him numb, his mind attempting to cope with everything that had happened. He wondering which was better, the overwhelming anger and frustration, the feelings of betrayal or the current numbness he felt. Right now, he couldn't care about anything, his only thoughts being how to avoid the team, in case they were looking for him.
"Where can I drop you?" the woman interrupting his thoughts, seeing the obvious change in his demeanour from when she had picked him up. She was worried for the boy, he looked just into his twenties, but to her, he reminded her of her youngest grandson, just as vulnerable, but she knew that this boy she couldn't protect or help. He did not seem the type to suddenly open up to her so she opted for just being helpful while he was with her.
Looking out of the window, Jesse recognised the part of the city they were in, it was one of the warehouse districts on the outskirts. He thought this was a good place to become lost for a few days, while he decided what to do.
"Just here, would be fine" he answered.
"Are you sure, there isn't much round here apart from the warehouses" the old woman asked, a bit surprised by this.
"This will be fine, I know my way about here."
"Okay, if you are sure" the woman said, bringing the car to a stop.
He nodded, reaching round he picked up his bag, and opened the door. As he was stepping out he went into his pocket and took out some money, he attempted to give it to the woman, for any trouble he had put her too.
The woman shook her head, "No, son. You look like you need that more than me, and it was no trouble to me", as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Thank you, I appreciate the lift here" he said, surprised by the woman's generosity towards him.
"Just take care of yourself, young man", she said as he closed the door.
He nodded again to her, and waved as she drove off. He stood there, a lone figure in the street, the large warehouses towering over him. 'Well this is home for a while', he thought to himself as he picked up his bag and walked over the road, going between two of the warehouses. He was hoping to find an older, abandoned warehouse to stay in for a while. To him, it made sense, the more he stayed out of populated areas, away from people, the less chance anyone could recognise him, the less chance the team would find him. He felt exhausted, he didn't know how long he could hide but he could not face the team, not now, maybe not ever.
He continued walking, not fast, just ambling along, for the first time in a long time, he did not have responsibilities or duties, he was free from everything, the sky overhead was cloudy, the rain the old woman had mentioned had not come yet, but it looked as though it would soon.
A gunshot cracked, the sound unmistakeable in the surrounding statement. On instinct, Jesse hit the ground, looking round for the shooter or their victim. Another shot went off, he realised it was coming from back the way he came. Cursing about how things always seemed to happen around New Mutants, he took off running for the road.
Reaching the road, he cautiously looked round for the occurrence. About three hundred yards down the road, he saw the old woman's car, it was stationary, a group of people surrounding it. Running towards the situation, he saw the old woman get dragged from the car by one of the larger men. The man ripped her gun from her hand, throwing it onto the ground. He threw the old woman to the ground. The whole group laughed, as the woman attempted to get up, a young woman in the group kicked her in the stomach, flipping her over onto her back, the old woman curling up into a ball attempting to protect herself.
Jesse's anger grew, his own anger from earlier returning, added to by the scene in front of him, he threw his bag to the side, running as fast as he could towards the group. There were about eight people in the group, but all of them had a slightly drunken sway to their motions, the eyes a bit glassy, he saw this as he approached.
One of the youngest picked up the gun. He fondled it, a wicked gleam forming in his eyes, his sickly voice could clearly be heard, even by Jesse who was still fifty yards away, unnoticed by the malevolent group, "The bitch was going to shoot us, why not return the favour, a bit of poetic justice, you know"
The group laughed as he aimed the gun at the woman. The next gunshot shot was punctuated by the scream of the woman as the bullet ruptured her right knee, the kneecap completely smashed, the bullet passing through ripping the tendons and ligaments to shreds, blood splashed over the woman and the closest members of the group. The group began mocking the woman's screams as she attempted to stop the bleeding in her knee, her face paling to pure whiteness as she realised the depravity of the group.
The scream was a beacon to Jesse, giving him that extra bit of adrenalin, he ran faster than he ever had. Without thought, he phased completely though the outside members of the group, a mere blurry image as the people stood laughing. Another shot went off, this time into the woman's chest, her chest exploded, the shot going straight into her heart, the large calibre bullet leaving now chance of survival, her blood went everywhere, its sticky substance coating the group, a large pool of it forming round the woman.
This broke all of Jesse's control, then as easily as he had phased, he massed out crashing into the gun-toting maniac. The laughter of the group went into stunned silence, as Jesse, fully massed out, impervious to the single shot the man fired at him, went straight into the man, his increased mass propelling the man along with him. The two crashed into a nearby lamppost, the post crashed to the ground, taking both Jesse and the man to the ground. A sickening crunch was heard as the man's spine was crushed, his ribs broken being compressed into his lungs as he was pressed between the post and the massed form of Jesse. Jesse in a full fit of rage didn't hear any of this, he sprung back off the man, turning to face the rest of the group. Rage was plastered across his face, one of the large men charged at him, Jesse phased out, the man crashing straight through him stumbling. Jesse remassed, his fists crashing into the man's lower back. Again a sickening crack was heard as the man's pelvis and lower spine was crushed. The man, unable to hold himself up fell to the ground as he passed out from the pain.
Somewhere in the back of Jesse's mind, he realised that his abilities were on full automatic, coming out on reflex, none of his usual concentration required, the usual limits on his massed out form not applying. Unconsciously he noted all of this, but his conscious mind paid no attention, his rage overwhelming everything, even now, as he saw the woman's body, twisted and broken in death, his rage increased, rational thought was completely expelled from his mind.
The remaining six people looked at the furious Jesse, his form tensed ready for their move, his visage like that of the angel of death, his longish hair and fair skin almost duplicating the old images of angels, but no angel had ever had the look of rage in their eyes like Jesse.
Three of the group took to their heels, running as fast as they could away from the deadly mutant. Grimly, Jesse smiled, not his usual, half-crooked smile, but an evil smile one that only had one meaning. The three remaining people and Jesse stood locked in a bizarre diorama, each watching the others to see who would move first as the running footsteps faded away.
Sanctuary:
Emma screamed as she attempted once again to contact Jesse, his anger, his towering rage forming a wall of fire in her mind as she attempted to touch him. She kept screaming, the fire threatening to overwhelm her defences. Both Adam and Brennan came running into the lounge room as Emma collapsed, her body going limp, slumping into the chair she was in, all tension going from her face, leaving her looking like a lost angel. The only sign of any tension in her was the death-like grip she maintained on Jesse's inactive ring.
Adam and Brennan both ran to her side, trying to check if she was alright and ascertain what had happened. This was how the three were found as Shalimar returned from her search empty-handed, her frustration evident and her anger tangible.