SpiritWalker
A/N-So, I have this day at work where I can do a little writing. And I do. So, this chapter is hot off the presses. More Jesse and Kari, some background, some angst and some setup for a special guest star.
Legal Stuff-So, Marvel owns EVERYONE, but Kari Spiritwalker is mine. And she's for sale, we'll talk....And please don't sue me, I don't have money.
I call this episode
Recovery
The next morning brought sad news from Kari's safe house. The building, damaged badly by the quake was condemned. The group she ran, was going underground elsewhere and Kari was without a home.
Kari was upset, her life for the past three years had been the new mutants in San Francisco. Jesse, sensing her upset, offered to bring her to San Francisco and gather her belongings.
The trip began in silence, each passenger alone in their own thoughts. Kari, after their soul breaking encounter, didn't know how to talk to Jesse. She looked at him innocently, trying to find the words to break the cold ice that had settled between them. She was used to it, because the stigma of being a medium came with people always wondering what you saw and what you knew about a person before meeting them. Jesse had been different. He didn't ask about her powers. He believed her about what she saw, and that made her stronger.
Jesse stared at the controls ahead of him, his thoughts on the early morning conversation. Emma had been on his thoughts since the moment Kari walked into their lives. She was so different from Emma. Emma had been off and on with her powers, while Kari, in her quiet manner was 100 percent spot with her abilities. She seemed like she could be one to count on in a fight, but he had felt the strange need to protect her.
"Damn it," she muttered under her breath.
"What?" Jesse asked.
"Sorry," Kari smiled slightly, "I can't stand this silence. You want to talk, right?"
Jesse nodded. Not only was she psionic, she read body language quite well.
"Talk," Kari opened, turning her seat to face him, "You have me alone, ask me what you want to ask me. I'm am not a mind reader, I have the ability, but I don't like the idea of reading your mind without your permission."
"A psionic with morals?" Jesse smiled.
Kari sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.
"Talk to me Jesse," she said, "It's going to be a long ride back, you better think of something, how about the Lightning?"
"Hockey's Brennan's game, I'm more of a baseball guy myself," Jesse was more at ease.
"Jesse, what's on your mind?"
"You."
Kari stopped for a moment.
"Me? I'm honored," Kari blushed.
"Kari, Emma," his voice cracked, "She was the first psionic I knew. It's hard for me to get used to the idea of being around one again. I'm sorry that we have been less than accepting."
"I'm sorry I'm like the wayward child," Kari admitted, "It's hard you know. All of you have been so accepting. I appreciate it, but I know that I don't fit. You all are you own team."
Jesse nodded. Kari got it.
"I'm still having a hard time with how Eckhart got to me," Jesse admitted, the slight glide of the Helix turning them toward the Golden Gate Bridge, "I know science. I know that something wasn't quite right after Eckhart's death. The thought of him living inside of me..."
"Jesse, how could you have known?"
"I should have known," Jesse stopped as they landed.
"Having a our bodies ourselves moment?" Kari looked at him, gathering her jacket, "You had no way of knowing that he was in your biochemistry. It's all about the electricity, Jesse."
"Electricity is more Brennan's realm."
"But its part of everyone's life," Kari interrupted, "You couldn't have known it, but Eckhart drained your energy levels to sustain himself. Rather brilliant, when you start to think about it."
Jesse pulled the Helix up and began landing procedures. The craft landed on the edge of a park and faded into the landscape.
"Brilliant for a madman," Jesse unbuckled his harness and headed after Kari into the San Francisco morning.
Kari's old safe house was on edge of Japantown. The language changed as Kari entered her old neighborhood. Jesse noticed the change in Kari's body language and marveled at the neighborhood of old and young Japanese. They were out working on their homes, and nodded to Kari as they walked by.
The air of being in her familiar hangouts felt great, but it was sad to know that she no longer had a home there. She spent a few moments, pointing out places to Jesse, and turned for her old home.
After showing her id to the police surrounding the neighborhood, Kari walked into her old house. The balcony she first saw Brennan and Shalimar from was hanging downward, an aftershock adding scaring to the landscape of her memories. She tried not to cry, knowing that this was meant to be, but she quickly went to work, gathering her belongings into a large hikers backpack.
Jesse watched her, helping where he could, and being a listener when she needed it. It was depressing. You could tell in the spots between the damage that this had been a comfortable, safe house for the mutants who stayed her.
She grabbed her laptop computer and the discs that surrounded it. Jesse held the pack for her, and she put the computer in, wrapped up in a towel.
"That should do it," she said, turning.
She stopped. The warning came as a whisper.
"What?" Jesse asked, sensing her instant change.
"We're not alone."
Jesse turned and headed for the main hall of the house. Kari followed him, slinging the pack over her shoulder. They slowly walked through the debris and headed for the remnants of the front door.
They were met at the door by four men, dressed in black and ready for action.
They didn't even stop to ask them who they were. Jesse instantly ducked for cover, trying desperately to bring Kari down with him. Kari slung the pack as hard as she could at the first man, ducked and and waited for the next man to head for her. She gathered the pack back and went for the other man's knees. Jesse stood up in front of her, breathed in and massed, while she ducked.
Three of the men battled them while the fourth readied a weapon, waited until Jesse unmassed, then fired. The bolt hit Jesse mid-torso and brought him down instantly. He hit the floor hard, the debris from the fall causing a small dust cloud to rise up around him.
'This is not good,' Kari thought, pulling herself upright.
The three guys descended upon her. The fourth man aimed the weapon at her, fired, and oblivion soon followed.
A/N-So, I have this day at work where I can do a little writing. And I do. So, this chapter is hot off the presses. More Jesse and Kari, some background, some angst and some setup for a special guest star.
Legal Stuff-So, Marvel owns EVERYONE, but Kari Spiritwalker is mine. And she's for sale, we'll talk....And please don't sue me, I don't have money.
I call this episode
Recovery
The next morning brought sad news from Kari's safe house. The building, damaged badly by the quake was condemned. The group she ran, was going underground elsewhere and Kari was without a home.
Kari was upset, her life for the past three years had been the new mutants in San Francisco. Jesse, sensing her upset, offered to bring her to San Francisco and gather her belongings.
The trip began in silence, each passenger alone in their own thoughts. Kari, after their soul breaking encounter, didn't know how to talk to Jesse. She looked at him innocently, trying to find the words to break the cold ice that had settled between them. She was used to it, because the stigma of being a medium came with people always wondering what you saw and what you knew about a person before meeting them. Jesse had been different. He didn't ask about her powers. He believed her about what she saw, and that made her stronger.
Jesse stared at the controls ahead of him, his thoughts on the early morning conversation. Emma had been on his thoughts since the moment Kari walked into their lives. She was so different from Emma. Emma had been off and on with her powers, while Kari, in her quiet manner was 100 percent spot with her abilities. She seemed like she could be one to count on in a fight, but he had felt the strange need to protect her.
"Damn it," she muttered under her breath.
"What?" Jesse asked.
"Sorry," Kari smiled slightly, "I can't stand this silence. You want to talk, right?"
Jesse nodded. Not only was she psionic, she read body language quite well.
"Talk," Kari opened, turning her seat to face him, "You have me alone, ask me what you want to ask me. I'm am not a mind reader, I have the ability, but I don't like the idea of reading your mind without your permission."
"A psionic with morals?" Jesse smiled.
Kari sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.
"Talk to me Jesse," she said, "It's going to be a long ride back, you better think of something, how about the Lightning?"
"Hockey's Brennan's game, I'm more of a baseball guy myself," Jesse was more at ease.
"Jesse, what's on your mind?"
"You."
Kari stopped for a moment.
"Me? I'm honored," Kari blushed.
"Kari, Emma," his voice cracked, "She was the first psionic I knew. It's hard for me to get used to the idea of being around one again. I'm sorry that we have been less than accepting."
"I'm sorry I'm like the wayward child," Kari admitted, "It's hard you know. All of you have been so accepting. I appreciate it, but I know that I don't fit. You all are you own team."
Jesse nodded. Kari got it.
"I'm still having a hard time with how Eckhart got to me," Jesse admitted, the slight glide of the Helix turning them toward the Golden Gate Bridge, "I know science. I know that something wasn't quite right after Eckhart's death. The thought of him living inside of me..."
"Jesse, how could you have known?"
"I should have known," Jesse stopped as they landed.
"Having a our bodies ourselves moment?" Kari looked at him, gathering her jacket, "You had no way of knowing that he was in your biochemistry. It's all about the electricity, Jesse."
"Electricity is more Brennan's realm."
"But its part of everyone's life," Kari interrupted, "You couldn't have known it, but Eckhart drained your energy levels to sustain himself. Rather brilliant, when you start to think about it."
Jesse pulled the Helix up and began landing procedures. The craft landed on the edge of a park and faded into the landscape.
"Brilliant for a madman," Jesse unbuckled his harness and headed after Kari into the San Francisco morning.
Kari's old safe house was on edge of Japantown. The language changed as Kari entered her old neighborhood. Jesse noticed the change in Kari's body language and marveled at the neighborhood of old and young Japanese. They were out working on their homes, and nodded to Kari as they walked by.
The air of being in her familiar hangouts felt great, but it was sad to know that she no longer had a home there. She spent a few moments, pointing out places to Jesse, and turned for her old home.
After showing her id to the police surrounding the neighborhood, Kari walked into her old house. The balcony she first saw Brennan and Shalimar from was hanging downward, an aftershock adding scaring to the landscape of her memories. She tried not to cry, knowing that this was meant to be, but she quickly went to work, gathering her belongings into a large hikers backpack.
Jesse watched her, helping where he could, and being a listener when she needed it. It was depressing. You could tell in the spots between the damage that this had been a comfortable, safe house for the mutants who stayed her.
She grabbed her laptop computer and the discs that surrounded it. Jesse held the pack for her, and she put the computer in, wrapped up in a towel.
"That should do it," she said, turning.
She stopped. The warning came as a whisper.
"What?" Jesse asked, sensing her instant change.
"We're not alone."
Jesse turned and headed for the main hall of the house. Kari followed him, slinging the pack over her shoulder. They slowly walked through the debris and headed for the remnants of the front door.
They were met at the door by four men, dressed in black and ready for action.
They didn't even stop to ask them who they were. Jesse instantly ducked for cover, trying desperately to bring Kari down with him. Kari slung the pack as hard as she could at the first man, ducked and and waited for the next man to head for her. She gathered the pack back and went for the other man's knees. Jesse stood up in front of her, breathed in and massed, while she ducked.
Three of the men battled them while the fourth readied a weapon, waited until Jesse unmassed, then fired. The bolt hit Jesse mid-torso and brought him down instantly. He hit the floor hard, the debris from the fall causing a small dust cloud to rise up around him.
'This is not good,' Kari thought, pulling herself upright.
The three guys descended upon her. The fourth man aimed the weapon at her, fired, and oblivion soon followed.