Chapter 37
A week later, everyone was back at the manor, except the new Time Force squad. However, all the investigations, debriefings and interrogations were taking place in the manor's attic. Katie was being debriefed right at the moment, and the rest of the people were scattered.
All that Alex cared about was Jen, who was sitting by the pool, with her feet submerged in the cold water. She was wearing one of Jessica's bikinis and the striped top showed some of her most persistent bruises.
But the worst bruise she had was in her eyes. The pain of losing a third baby, of lying there helpless, on the verge of death, showed in her eyes like a shadow. The pain brought by the responsibility of having to be the strong one, the fierce one. He knew she needed time for herself, she had specifically asked for it, but it wasn't doing her any good. He walked towards her, in a pair of Wes's midcuts, and sat next to her.
He took her hand and kissed the back of it several times, his warm lips creating a pleasant sensation on her cold, skinny and pale hand. She looked at him, her face showing a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked, opening his arms, but she didn't hug him.
She just turned to the water again, her brown eyes reflecting the sparkling water, now that they had lost their own sparks. "No," she said simply. "No matter how I see it, I'm not fine." She sniffled, and dried away the tear that had escaped her right eye. "And I feel even worse at the prospect of living the rest of my life like this," she admitted.
"We could take a sabbatical year," he suggested, but she shook her head.
"What for? We'd have to go back to living like this afterwards." She desisted from trying to stop the tears from flowing. "It was a girl," she said out of nowhere.
"What?" he asked suddenly confused.
"Our baby, the one we lost a week ago, it was a girl," she explained. "That little girl we want so much," she finally broke down and let out a wail, as she buried her face in her hands.
Alex pulled her to him, and hugged her tightly, rocking her softly. "Let it all out, now, Jen. Let it all out, I'll be the strong one, just cry, okay? Let it all out, I'll take care of everything," he whispered softly, and she cried harder, finally letting go of all the restrains she had put on herself for the past years. She was shaking with fear, crying with pain and impotence and yelling and wailing in anger; she was letting out everything she hadn't allowed herself to freely feel for years. "Let it go, I'll take care of everything, it will be alright."
"No, it won't," she said with a broken voice, tears still freely falling from her eyes. "We captured your mother, but before her we had captured Ransik. A new one will come and take The Mistress' place, and after that one, another one will come." Alex didn't say anything. She was right; there would always be another one. "I can't do this anymore, Alex," she moaned. "I don't want to do this anymore." Alex just held her tight, knowing she needed someone to listen silently, without judging her.
"I can't be a hero forever, Alex. Samantha said that you and I are too good at this for our own good and she was right. They will always come after us. I don't want to live my life in uncertainty anymore. I want to know for a fact I will see you again every time I say goodbye. I want to have breakfast calmly, I want to sleep tight! I want to be able to go shopping without having to look over my shoulder. I want to have children I know won't be kidnapped." She looked into his bright blue eyes that were tearful as well, and with a pleading expression asked, "Am I asking for too much?"
"No," he said immediately, the answer truly coming from his heart. "You have the right to ask for all of that," he assured her.
She hugged him tightly again, burying her face in his neck. "I want to stop," she said. "I want to stop before it's too late."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I want to quit Time Force, Alex," Jen said. And then, breaking the tight embrace she looked again into his eyes, her face resolute. He knew she had been thinking about this for a long time, and he knew just as well that there was no changing her mind on this. "I want to quit Time Force and I want you to quit with me," she pleaded. He looked at her, carefully keeping his face blank for a second. "Alex?" she asked.
He looked away from her. The moment he had feared had finally come. He had to choose between his wife and his work. Working on Time Force was his dream come true, being a Time Force officer was everything he had ever wanted, but seeing Jen like that, so desperate and so distraught, was his worst nightmare. "Are you sure you want to quit? Are you sure this isn't a rushed decision?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, I'm certain, I want to stop."
"What if we both quit and a mutant comes after us for revenge? What are we going to do then?"
"We'd keep our license to use weapons. And Time Force won't just disappear because we won't be there!" she said. Alex sighed, and lowered his gaze. "You don't want to quit?" she asked.
"I'll do it," he said, looking up at her again. "I'll quit with you," he assured her, holding her hand. It hadn't taken him too long to decide after he saw how determined Jen was. When she had looked into his eyes, he saw her plead, and remembered how she looked lying on the floor, beaten up, covered in blood and almost dead. He also remembered her distraught face, when it had been him dying. He couldn't take the pain that showed in her eyes. "You're right, It's been enough."
She smiled, this time even with her eyes. The relief and happiness that took over her heart and face gave him the last assurance he needed of having done the right thing. She threw herself into his arms and he held her tight, feeling her skin pressed against his and feeling blessed because of it. They kissed. They kissed with the same love, passion and hunger they had felt the first time they had kissed. The felt their souls break free in each other's lips, and held onto the kiss for as long as the could, finally breaking the union of their lips when their lungs gave way. They pressed their foreheads together, in a way that made them feel so intimate and close. They gave each other a succession of short kisses, keeping their eyes closed.
"You and me," Alex whispered.
"Forever," Jen completed.
And for a moment, it was true.
********************************
"Hey, Phine," Jessica greeted them, approaching her sister, who was lying on her bed, still in too much pain to move around. "How is it going?" she asked.
"Better, Kevin just gave me the medicine so it doesn't hurt much. I'm worried about the children, though. How are they? Kevin has kept them away from me, he says he's afraid they might hurt me or something," Josephine looked sad.
"They are fine," Jess said, not lying. "Jen helped them out with the trauma, and they are doing much better. They are fascinated with the baby," she added with a smile.
"How is the baby? I haven't seen her in ages."
"She's asleep right now, but I can bring her over if you want to see her, she won't mind much." They both laughed softly. "She's so beautiful. God! I'm so happy! And I feel bad, because you and Jen--"
"I know how you feel," Josephine said. "When my children were born I felt like I was walking on the air, but I felt slightly guilty because of you, and what you must have been going through," Josephine said. "But don't worry; Caroline has brought happiness to me and Jen as well, despite everything that happened." Jessica smiled broadly.
"They're going to interrogate us as well, do you think you can put up with that?"
"Yes," Josephine said without any hesitation. "Of course I'm willing to do it."
"Oh, and you better recover fast," Jessica added. "The men, and I include Wes, Kevin and Alex, are preparing a barbecue for this Saturday, so you better get well soon."
"Don't worry, I will."
**************************************
Fly-tag and her friends sat, unfrozen, in the time ship cells. In the cell next to theirs was Nadira, who had left them alone, and had spent all the time crying for her deceased father.
"Fly-tag, what is going to happen to us after the interrogation?" Bunnistein asked.
"I don't know," the other mutant said truthfully. "But the Power Rangers said they would speak in our behalf."
"Let's hope they keep their word," Boulderac said, wrapping his rocky arms around Bunnistein, who leaned against him tenderly.
Centauricon and Fly-tag looked at them and then at each other. They couldn't suppress a shy smile and blush, and then, Centauricon took Fly- tag's hand in his.
It was all she needed in that moment.
*************************************
An hour later, Jen entered the attic, dressed in uniform. Katie had told her that it was her turn to be debriefed and she had put her uniform on, and had prepared her answers. What made her feel better was knowing that Alex was sitting outside the door, waiting for her to come out. She could hear his thoughts.
"Captain Jennifer Scotts Drake, Badge number 8111984," she said as she saluted. Alex's father, Richard Drake, was sitting there, his face blank and cold, along with two other members of the high command of Time Force, and, through a holographic screen, Jen knew she was also speaking before the board of judges.
After a few moments, during which Jen and the other people present waited for Mr. Drake to talk, one of the other high commandants said, "Captain, please take a seat." His voice had a strong bass tone.
Jen gave them a shy smile they returned, except for Mr. Drake, as she sat down. The black man who had asked her to take a seat smiled at her with what seemed like pride. "How are you feeling after your injuries? We heard they were serious."
"I'm much better now, although some of them still hurt, especially the bones, and I still have some of the bruises," she said. "And of course, there's the emotional damage that also left bruises and scars," she added sadly.
"Sorry to hear you are having a bad time," said a woman who had a maternal air. "Of course, not that this will help much, you and your team will receive large financial, and probably non-financial, rewards. We are aware that this will not make up for the child you lost or the scars you will keep, but it's all we can do."
"It's good enough," Jen whispered. She was very nervous, so she kept biting her broken lip until it began bleeding again. She touched the small wound with her finger and winced. "Ouch," she whispered, trying to distract the board, so she could read their minds for a second, trying to find out their intentions, and what the others had said.
"We ask you to kindly keep yourself from using your psychic powers while in this room, Captain," Richard Drake barked.
"I would never," Jen said innocently. "It's unethical."
"Well, let's start," the black man said. "This is the boring part but we have to do it," he added in a confidential tone that made Jen smile. "State your full name please."
"Jennifer Christine Drake, maiden name Scotts," she said.
"Okay," the man said simply. "How did all of this start?"
"Years ago I was walking out of my training, after failing yet another exam, and then, sad as I was, I couldn't see this gorgeous man I was walking straight into. I crashed against him, and the sparks flew immediately. That was the day I met the man who is my husband today."
"What has that got to do with any of this?" Drake asked.
"You know it better than anyone else in this room, Mr. Drake. When I went to bed that night, with the promise of seeing him again in the morning, I thought that had been the luckiest day of my life." She chuckled, lost in her memory. "However, that was the day I signed on for this," she added, pointing at her back, that was covered in bruises.
"Explain your relationship with Samantha Drake."
"It was never good. She always considered me not good enough to marry Alex, she called me Farm Girl and never really wanted to meet me. She thought I was stupid and ignorant, because she didn't know the farm my family owns is not one, but many farms, the Scotts farms to be exact. However she had a prejudice against me from day one."
"You think this was all designed to destroy you?" Drake asked.
"Well, she did come back in time to kill the woman she believed was my ancestor, she kidnapped me and tried to kill me twice, sir," Jen answered.
"Well, last but not least, explain to us, please," the woman asked. "What exactly happened inside that stable?"
"I used a new trick I have been developing," Jen said simply. "I used my psychic powers, in self-defense, and defense of others," she added, worried they might charge her for it.
"All right, whatever," the woman said. "What exactly did you do?" she insisted.
"I created an illusion inside of their minds. An almost schizophrenic illusion, they would interact and react to it."
"They?" the black man asked. "You did this in other minds?"
"Yes, I used this 'trick' inside of The Mistress' mind, also Nadira and Ransik, Josephine Simmons and Alex, my husband."
"What exactly did you put in their minds?" Mr. Drake asked.
"Forget that now, how did you do it?"
"It's basically the same mechanism I use to control my dreams; I just have to send the same commands through telepathy. It's very simple actually."
"Yes, well, we'll take your word for it," the woman said. "Now, please explain, for how long did you maintain these illusions, and what happened in reality, and what did you see from outside?"
Jen took a deep breath. "I haven't perfected this trick, so I didn't keep the illusion up for too long, to play safe," she began. "I only put an image of a distant fight that wasn't occurring in Nadira, Ransik and Alex's minds, so it wasn't so hard and I didn't need to keep it up for too long. As for Josephine, she shared one of Samantha's illusions, because I needed her to react in the right way, because I was weakened, due to the beating. Samantha went through a series of illusions that had the purpose of confusing her, and finally bringing her to submission."
"If all the fights she claims to have had with you were illusions, how come both of you are beaten up?"
"Not all the fights were illusions. Goldix did beat me up quite badly, and we had a fight, her and me, she defeated me, because I was weakened, so I started another illusion, to make her believe I was still standing. If I hadn't she would have gotten away again."
"She claims she saw you kill Ransik and Nadira, and Ransik was found dead, can you explain?"
"I don't know what happened to Ransik and Nadira after they left the stable," she lied. "I just wanted them out, to protect my mission and my plan."
"Well, what exactly was the nature of these illusions?" Drake insisted.
"In the beginning I made her believe she was winning. After she stabbed Josephine Simmons, I took over her mind, to keep her from hurting them more. Then I made her believe I was winning, followed by one where she saw herself locked in a psychiatric hospital, and then back to reality. I fought her mutant, she caught me from behind and beat me up, I tried to put up a fight, but I was too hurt, so I used another illusion to make her believe we were fighting each other. Then she fell into a state of shock, which I recognize as my fault, and I got to cuff her. However I fainted before I could put her under arrest and it was Colonel Drake who did it," Jen recounted.
"Let us ask a few more details, Captain," the woman said and Jen nodded.
*********************************
Alex sat outside the door, waiting for Jen to come out. Katie approached him with a cup of cocoa. "She's going to be okay, you know?" she said, sitting next to him.
"I know, but this is the only way I have to support her for now, so I'll just stay here, as close to her as I can get," he said with a smile.
"Jen told me she wanted to quit Time Force," Katie said. Alex nodded. "She told you too?"
"Yes. She said she wanted to quit, and that she wanted me to quit with her," he said. "And I don't know, I mean, Time Force is my dream job, but I won't lose Jen again for it. Jen is the most important thing in my life, and I'll quit Time Force if she wants me to."
"That might bring problems between you two in time," Kate warned.
"There are other things I like to do, that are less dangerous than being a superhero. And if anything happens, I can always go through the adaptation course and go back into action," he said.
"If you get bored of being normal?" she asked playfully.
"Or if Jen changes her mind." With a small sigh he added, "Although I doubt she will."
Katie didn't say anything. She couldn't see Jen and Alex doing anything but being Time Force officers and the idea of Jen becoming a stay-at-home seemed ridiculous to her mind. However she recognized the couple need a break. "Why not just take a sabbatical?" she asked.
"I suggested that to Jen, but she said it wouldn't do. If we get to have a child we are going to keep it forever, not just one year," he reasoned.
"Well, I hope it turns out well for you two, if you decide to quit," Katie said, getting up along with Alex as the door opened.
Jen came out and was greeted by Alex's strong arms wrapped around her reassuringly. "How did it go?" he asked tenderly.
"A lot better than I had thought," she said. "I think she won't escape."
"She won't escape," he assured her. "I won't let her."
She smiled at him and looked at Katie. "Can I have a cup of cocoa of my own, please?"
**************************************
Centauricon looked up from where he was crouched, holding Fly-tag close to him. Boulderac and Bunnistein were also alerted by the sound of the door opening. A guard came in and put cuffs around their wrists. The Pink Ranger and The Mistress' son came in, holding hands.
"You are now to give your statements," the Pink Ranger said. "I wanted to thank you for helping me and my unit."
"It was nothing," Centauricon said with a smile.
"I've been doing some research in the laws, and we can plead Ransik's death as self-defense or accidental murder. Be honest in your statements, and you might walk," she promised.
"Walk?" Fly-tag asked in disbelief. "We are mutants, we won't walk."
"You may," Alex assured them. "And Jen's family needs help on the farms. Are you willing to take the jobs, if you walk?"
"Jobs? In your family farms?" Bunnistein asked.
"Yes. We always need help," Jen said.
"That would be great," Fly-tag said with a smile. Jen returned the smile and she and Alex left. Four officers walked into the cell and took the mutants out.
Alex watched them leave from Nadira's cell door. He turned to look at the pink-haired distressed woman that sat inside. "What is going to happen to Nadira?" he asked.
"She's going to jail," Jen said simply.
"She could have done great things with her life. She could have changed the way we see mutants," he said.
"You know what they say, like father like child. And in her case, she couldn't escape this," she said.
"It still saddens me," Alex admitted. "She's still my sister."
To be continued.
A week later, everyone was back at the manor, except the new Time Force squad. However, all the investigations, debriefings and interrogations were taking place in the manor's attic. Katie was being debriefed right at the moment, and the rest of the people were scattered.
All that Alex cared about was Jen, who was sitting by the pool, with her feet submerged in the cold water. She was wearing one of Jessica's bikinis and the striped top showed some of her most persistent bruises.
But the worst bruise she had was in her eyes. The pain of losing a third baby, of lying there helpless, on the verge of death, showed in her eyes like a shadow. The pain brought by the responsibility of having to be the strong one, the fierce one. He knew she needed time for herself, she had specifically asked for it, but it wasn't doing her any good. He walked towards her, in a pair of Wes's midcuts, and sat next to her.
He took her hand and kissed the back of it several times, his warm lips creating a pleasant sensation on her cold, skinny and pale hand. She looked at him, her face showing a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked, opening his arms, but she didn't hug him.
She just turned to the water again, her brown eyes reflecting the sparkling water, now that they had lost their own sparks. "No," she said simply. "No matter how I see it, I'm not fine." She sniffled, and dried away the tear that had escaped her right eye. "And I feel even worse at the prospect of living the rest of my life like this," she admitted.
"We could take a sabbatical year," he suggested, but she shook her head.
"What for? We'd have to go back to living like this afterwards." She desisted from trying to stop the tears from flowing. "It was a girl," she said out of nowhere.
"What?" he asked suddenly confused.
"Our baby, the one we lost a week ago, it was a girl," she explained. "That little girl we want so much," she finally broke down and let out a wail, as she buried her face in her hands.
Alex pulled her to him, and hugged her tightly, rocking her softly. "Let it all out, now, Jen. Let it all out, I'll be the strong one, just cry, okay? Let it all out, I'll take care of everything," he whispered softly, and she cried harder, finally letting go of all the restrains she had put on herself for the past years. She was shaking with fear, crying with pain and impotence and yelling and wailing in anger; she was letting out everything she hadn't allowed herself to freely feel for years. "Let it go, I'll take care of everything, it will be alright."
"No, it won't," she said with a broken voice, tears still freely falling from her eyes. "We captured your mother, but before her we had captured Ransik. A new one will come and take The Mistress' place, and after that one, another one will come." Alex didn't say anything. She was right; there would always be another one. "I can't do this anymore, Alex," she moaned. "I don't want to do this anymore." Alex just held her tight, knowing she needed someone to listen silently, without judging her.
"I can't be a hero forever, Alex. Samantha said that you and I are too good at this for our own good and she was right. They will always come after us. I don't want to live my life in uncertainty anymore. I want to know for a fact I will see you again every time I say goodbye. I want to have breakfast calmly, I want to sleep tight! I want to be able to go shopping without having to look over my shoulder. I want to have children I know won't be kidnapped." She looked into his bright blue eyes that were tearful as well, and with a pleading expression asked, "Am I asking for too much?"
"No," he said immediately, the answer truly coming from his heart. "You have the right to ask for all of that," he assured her.
She hugged him tightly again, burying her face in his neck. "I want to stop," she said. "I want to stop before it's too late."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I want to quit Time Force, Alex," Jen said. And then, breaking the tight embrace she looked again into his eyes, her face resolute. He knew she had been thinking about this for a long time, and he knew just as well that there was no changing her mind on this. "I want to quit Time Force and I want you to quit with me," she pleaded. He looked at her, carefully keeping his face blank for a second. "Alex?" she asked.
He looked away from her. The moment he had feared had finally come. He had to choose between his wife and his work. Working on Time Force was his dream come true, being a Time Force officer was everything he had ever wanted, but seeing Jen like that, so desperate and so distraught, was his worst nightmare. "Are you sure you want to quit? Are you sure this isn't a rushed decision?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, I'm certain, I want to stop."
"What if we both quit and a mutant comes after us for revenge? What are we going to do then?"
"We'd keep our license to use weapons. And Time Force won't just disappear because we won't be there!" she said. Alex sighed, and lowered his gaze. "You don't want to quit?" she asked.
"I'll do it," he said, looking up at her again. "I'll quit with you," he assured her, holding her hand. It hadn't taken him too long to decide after he saw how determined Jen was. When she had looked into his eyes, he saw her plead, and remembered how she looked lying on the floor, beaten up, covered in blood and almost dead. He also remembered her distraught face, when it had been him dying. He couldn't take the pain that showed in her eyes. "You're right, It's been enough."
She smiled, this time even with her eyes. The relief and happiness that took over her heart and face gave him the last assurance he needed of having done the right thing. She threw herself into his arms and he held her tight, feeling her skin pressed against his and feeling blessed because of it. They kissed. They kissed with the same love, passion and hunger they had felt the first time they had kissed. The felt their souls break free in each other's lips, and held onto the kiss for as long as the could, finally breaking the union of their lips when their lungs gave way. They pressed their foreheads together, in a way that made them feel so intimate and close. They gave each other a succession of short kisses, keeping their eyes closed.
"You and me," Alex whispered.
"Forever," Jen completed.
And for a moment, it was true.
********************************
"Hey, Phine," Jessica greeted them, approaching her sister, who was lying on her bed, still in too much pain to move around. "How is it going?" she asked.
"Better, Kevin just gave me the medicine so it doesn't hurt much. I'm worried about the children, though. How are they? Kevin has kept them away from me, he says he's afraid they might hurt me or something," Josephine looked sad.
"They are fine," Jess said, not lying. "Jen helped them out with the trauma, and they are doing much better. They are fascinated with the baby," she added with a smile.
"How is the baby? I haven't seen her in ages."
"She's asleep right now, but I can bring her over if you want to see her, she won't mind much." They both laughed softly. "She's so beautiful. God! I'm so happy! And I feel bad, because you and Jen--"
"I know how you feel," Josephine said. "When my children were born I felt like I was walking on the air, but I felt slightly guilty because of you, and what you must have been going through," Josephine said. "But don't worry; Caroline has brought happiness to me and Jen as well, despite everything that happened." Jessica smiled broadly.
"They're going to interrogate us as well, do you think you can put up with that?"
"Yes," Josephine said without any hesitation. "Of course I'm willing to do it."
"Oh, and you better recover fast," Jessica added. "The men, and I include Wes, Kevin and Alex, are preparing a barbecue for this Saturday, so you better get well soon."
"Don't worry, I will."
**************************************
Fly-tag and her friends sat, unfrozen, in the time ship cells. In the cell next to theirs was Nadira, who had left them alone, and had spent all the time crying for her deceased father.
"Fly-tag, what is going to happen to us after the interrogation?" Bunnistein asked.
"I don't know," the other mutant said truthfully. "But the Power Rangers said they would speak in our behalf."
"Let's hope they keep their word," Boulderac said, wrapping his rocky arms around Bunnistein, who leaned against him tenderly.
Centauricon and Fly-tag looked at them and then at each other. They couldn't suppress a shy smile and blush, and then, Centauricon took Fly- tag's hand in his.
It was all she needed in that moment.
*************************************
An hour later, Jen entered the attic, dressed in uniform. Katie had told her that it was her turn to be debriefed and she had put her uniform on, and had prepared her answers. What made her feel better was knowing that Alex was sitting outside the door, waiting for her to come out. She could hear his thoughts.
"Captain Jennifer Scotts Drake, Badge number 8111984," she said as she saluted. Alex's father, Richard Drake, was sitting there, his face blank and cold, along with two other members of the high command of Time Force, and, through a holographic screen, Jen knew she was also speaking before the board of judges.
After a few moments, during which Jen and the other people present waited for Mr. Drake to talk, one of the other high commandants said, "Captain, please take a seat." His voice had a strong bass tone.
Jen gave them a shy smile they returned, except for Mr. Drake, as she sat down. The black man who had asked her to take a seat smiled at her with what seemed like pride. "How are you feeling after your injuries? We heard they were serious."
"I'm much better now, although some of them still hurt, especially the bones, and I still have some of the bruises," she said. "And of course, there's the emotional damage that also left bruises and scars," she added sadly.
"Sorry to hear you are having a bad time," said a woman who had a maternal air. "Of course, not that this will help much, you and your team will receive large financial, and probably non-financial, rewards. We are aware that this will not make up for the child you lost or the scars you will keep, but it's all we can do."
"It's good enough," Jen whispered. She was very nervous, so she kept biting her broken lip until it began bleeding again. She touched the small wound with her finger and winced. "Ouch," she whispered, trying to distract the board, so she could read their minds for a second, trying to find out their intentions, and what the others had said.
"We ask you to kindly keep yourself from using your psychic powers while in this room, Captain," Richard Drake barked.
"I would never," Jen said innocently. "It's unethical."
"Well, let's start," the black man said. "This is the boring part but we have to do it," he added in a confidential tone that made Jen smile. "State your full name please."
"Jennifer Christine Drake, maiden name Scotts," she said.
"Okay," the man said simply. "How did all of this start?"
"Years ago I was walking out of my training, after failing yet another exam, and then, sad as I was, I couldn't see this gorgeous man I was walking straight into. I crashed against him, and the sparks flew immediately. That was the day I met the man who is my husband today."
"What has that got to do with any of this?" Drake asked.
"You know it better than anyone else in this room, Mr. Drake. When I went to bed that night, with the promise of seeing him again in the morning, I thought that had been the luckiest day of my life." She chuckled, lost in her memory. "However, that was the day I signed on for this," she added, pointing at her back, that was covered in bruises.
"Explain your relationship with Samantha Drake."
"It was never good. She always considered me not good enough to marry Alex, she called me Farm Girl and never really wanted to meet me. She thought I was stupid and ignorant, because she didn't know the farm my family owns is not one, but many farms, the Scotts farms to be exact. However she had a prejudice against me from day one."
"You think this was all designed to destroy you?" Drake asked.
"Well, she did come back in time to kill the woman she believed was my ancestor, she kidnapped me and tried to kill me twice, sir," Jen answered.
"Well, last but not least, explain to us, please," the woman asked. "What exactly happened inside that stable?"
"I used a new trick I have been developing," Jen said simply. "I used my psychic powers, in self-defense, and defense of others," she added, worried they might charge her for it.
"All right, whatever," the woman said. "What exactly did you do?" she insisted.
"I created an illusion inside of their minds. An almost schizophrenic illusion, they would interact and react to it."
"They?" the black man asked. "You did this in other minds?"
"Yes, I used this 'trick' inside of The Mistress' mind, also Nadira and Ransik, Josephine Simmons and Alex, my husband."
"What exactly did you put in their minds?" Mr. Drake asked.
"Forget that now, how did you do it?"
"It's basically the same mechanism I use to control my dreams; I just have to send the same commands through telepathy. It's very simple actually."
"Yes, well, we'll take your word for it," the woman said. "Now, please explain, for how long did you maintain these illusions, and what happened in reality, and what did you see from outside?"
Jen took a deep breath. "I haven't perfected this trick, so I didn't keep the illusion up for too long, to play safe," she began. "I only put an image of a distant fight that wasn't occurring in Nadira, Ransik and Alex's minds, so it wasn't so hard and I didn't need to keep it up for too long. As for Josephine, she shared one of Samantha's illusions, because I needed her to react in the right way, because I was weakened, due to the beating. Samantha went through a series of illusions that had the purpose of confusing her, and finally bringing her to submission."
"If all the fights she claims to have had with you were illusions, how come both of you are beaten up?"
"Not all the fights were illusions. Goldix did beat me up quite badly, and we had a fight, her and me, she defeated me, because I was weakened, so I started another illusion, to make her believe I was still standing. If I hadn't she would have gotten away again."
"She claims she saw you kill Ransik and Nadira, and Ransik was found dead, can you explain?"
"I don't know what happened to Ransik and Nadira after they left the stable," she lied. "I just wanted them out, to protect my mission and my plan."
"Well, what exactly was the nature of these illusions?" Drake insisted.
"In the beginning I made her believe she was winning. After she stabbed Josephine Simmons, I took over her mind, to keep her from hurting them more. Then I made her believe I was winning, followed by one where she saw herself locked in a psychiatric hospital, and then back to reality. I fought her mutant, she caught me from behind and beat me up, I tried to put up a fight, but I was too hurt, so I used another illusion to make her believe we were fighting each other. Then she fell into a state of shock, which I recognize as my fault, and I got to cuff her. However I fainted before I could put her under arrest and it was Colonel Drake who did it," Jen recounted.
"Let us ask a few more details, Captain," the woman said and Jen nodded.
*********************************
Alex sat outside the door, waiting for Jen to come out. Katie approached him with a cup of cocoa. "She's going to be okay, you know?" she said, sitting next to him.
"I know, but this is the only way I have to support her for now, so I'll just stay here, as close to her as I can get," he said with a smile.
"Jen told me she wanted to quit Time Force," Katie said. Alex nodded. "She told you too?"
"Yes. She said she wanted to quit, and that she wanted me to quit with her," he said. "And I don't know, I mean, Time Force is my dream job, but I won't lose Jen again for it. Jen is the most important thing in my life, and I'll quit Time Force if she wants me to."
"That might bring problems between you two in time," Kate warned.
"There are other things I like to do, that are less dangerous than being a superhero. And if anything happens, I can always go through the adaptation course and go back into action," he said.
"If you get bored of being normal?" she asked playfully.
"Or if Jen changes her mind." With a small sigh he added, "Although I doubt she will."
Katie didn't say anything. She couldn't see Jen and Alex doing anything but being Time Force officers and the idea of Jen becoming a stay-at-home seemed ridiculous to her mind. However she recognized the couple need a break. "Why not just take a sabbatical?" she asked.
"I suggested that to Jen, but she said it wouldn't do. If we get to have a child we are going to keep it forever, not just one year," he reasoned.
"Well, I hope it turns out well for you two, if you decide to quit," Katie said, getting up along with Alex as the door opened.
Jen came out and was greeted by Alex's strong arms wrapped around her reassuringly. "How did it go?" he asked tenderly.
"A lot better than I had thought," she said. "I think she won't escape."
"She won't escape," he assured her. "I won't let her."
She smiled at him and looked at Katie. "Can I have a cup of cocoa of my own, please?"
**************************************
Centauricon looked up from where he was crouched, holding Fly-tag close to him. Boulderac and Bunnistein were also alerted by the sound of the door opening. A guard came in and put cuffs around their wrists. The Pink Ranger and The Mistress' son came in, holding hands.
"You are now to give your statements," the Pink Ranger said. "I wanted to thank you for helping me and my unit."
"It was nothing," Centauricon said with a smile.
"I've been doing some research in the laws, and we can plead Ransik's death as self-defense or accidental murder. Be honest in your statements, and you might walk," she promised.
"Walk?" Fly-tag asked in disbelief. "We are mutants, we won't walk."
"You may," Alex assured them. "And Jen's family needs help on the farms. Are you willing to take the jobs, if you walk?"
"Jobs? In your family farms?" Bunnistein asked.
"Yes. We always need help," Jen said.
"That would be great," Fly-tag said with a smile. Jen returned the smile and she and Alex left. Four officers walked into the cell and took the mutants out.
Alex watched them leave from Nadira's cell door. He turned to look at the pink-haired distressed woman that sat inside. "What is going to happen to Nadira?" he asked.
"She's going to jail," Jen said simply.
"She could have done great things with her life. She could have changed the way we see mutants," he said.
"You know what they say, like father like child. And in her case, she couldn't escape this," she said.
"It still saddens me," Alex admitted. "She's still my sister."
To be continued.
