Lucky Me
Chapter 086
I heard the phone ring, like I'd been hearing the phone ring for the past ten minutes.
Napping was the only thing I was trying to do and amazingly enough that was the only time the house line was ringing off the hook. I was tried to catch some shut eye in the Rec. Room (the place had three couches and was as big as my old house in Washington-both floors side by side-well, maybe not that big, but it was enough).
Bobby-Jerk and Mr. Remy were watching some silly football game.
The phone went on ringing.
"Can someone get that?" I hollered (mostly into the pillow that I was face-first in).
"What?" Bobby-Jerk screamed.
"The phone!" When I shouted back, they had the nerve to turn the television volume up!
I gritted my teeth. Selective hearing always happened during football season! I didn't even know they watched football.
The phone rang again.
Picking myself up, I gave a stern look in their direction.
"Phone!"
"You're just as annoying as the ringing," Bobby-Jerk returned, annoyed.
Growling, I dropped back down and put a pillow over each ear.
Another ring.
Then another.
I was going to strangle someone with the phone cord! (if they still had cords)
Ring again.
I sprung up and yelled.
"Answer the phone!"
Mr. Remy didn't even look at me as when answered.
"Can't reach it. Too far away."
"Don't know where it is." Bobby-Jerk shrugged.
And still the dumb thing continued to ring. Finally fed up enough with it, I hauled myself off the couch and stomped over to the other side of the room. I waited for the phone to ring again, and when it did, I followed the noise and nearly blistered in anger when I found it.
"You lazy guys!" I shrieked. The phone was sitting right between them!
Mr. Remy turned up the volume again.
I grabbed the phone and through gritted teeth. "Hello."
"Yes, I was calling for Nathaniel Summers." I recognized the last name, not the first. Due to a process of elimination I figured they meant the typing-like-crazy-guy in the War Room.
"Tell him this is-" There was a strangled noise, like she was forcing something unpleasant out of her mouth, "Spot."
I was going to go out on a slight limb and guess that wasn't her real name nor was it an affectionate pet name since she spat it out.
"Right."
I dumped the phone on the table and went hunting for Cable. It didn't take long, he was polishing his gun. I told him he had a call and who from and then he picked up the phone and ran off. Yawning, I meandered back into the Rec. room. Oh great, Adrian was there, too.
"What was so impossibly hard about answering a phone that was right next to you?" Hands on hips, I was fed up with awake when I could have been sleeping.
"Watching game," Mr. Remy replied nodding toward the television. Adrian shushed me.
Then four more guys trooped in.
I rolled my eyes.
"But it was right-"
"Shuuu!" I got hissed at from all males. My mouth gaped.
"Oh well ex-cuse me for interrupting."
They had pork rinds, barbeque ribs, coke cans (both empty and full), and not to mention a whole lot of other things. And wasn't if funny how upholstery sudden became napkins when they had forgotten what a napkin was.
Before I could continue my ranting they all jumped up and screamed about someone making a touchdown.
I threw my hands up in the air, disgusted. Bobby-Jerk, Mr. Remy, Adrian, Adam (oh how the mighty have fallen), Mr. Logan, Mr. Warren and Scott were all doing this male bonding junk.
I screamed in frustration and stomped over to the door ready to find another place to nap (that wasn't my room with that sadistic cat).
"Hey, since you're goin' dat way, can you get me another drink? T'anks, chaton"
I turned around and glared at Mr. Remy. He was trying to give me the charming smile. Smirking I turned and marched to the kitchen, grabbed a warm drink, stopped in another room, and picked up some Tide. With both in hand I sashayed back to the homemade football stadium.
"T'anks."
"No problem." I smiled broadly. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to go do some laundry." When I left the room, I counted to three and ducked into the room across the hall from the Rec. room.
"Crap!" Someone hollered, and then "Okay, commercial! Warren, Logan, Go!"
"Why us?"
"Because Logan scares the crap outta everyone." I recognized Adam's voice on that comment.
"And Warren is her main teacher," Scott finished.
There was some muttered grumbling but soon I heard the two of them stomp pass.
Guess they didn't trust me in the laundry room, like ever again.
"The girl is a Susie Homemaker from hell or something," Mr. Logan muttered as he passed by.
I was curious how Mr. Logan didn't pick up on my scent but decided that fate was being kind to me today (probably to kick me in the teeth tomorrow, but hey, live for the day).
Sticking my head out from my hiding place I nearly got caught when Bobby-Jerk and Adrian made an unannounced exit. From the flash of them that I saw, I could only surmise that they were on snack refill duty. Once it was all clear, I slunk down the hall to the monitor room, checking the clipboard that listed who had what shift, I felt the evil Kerry snicker in triumph as I knocked on the door. Yes, it was a metal, automatic door, but it locked from the inside to prevent people from just coming and going and something-so-boring-I-tuned-out.
I heard the mutterings of the guy who, let's face it, owed me. When the door swooshed open, I crossed my arms across my stomach and waited until he hiked an eyebrow up at me before I smirked up at him. Chris sighed, and asked what I wanted.
"We'll call it even if you help me," I offered.
"I can't leave the room, you know that." He huffed.
"I know," I replied, and then looked past him, "So, can I come in or what?"
He moved out of the doorway and waved an arm in a grand gesture. I sashayed in, plopped down in one of swivel chairs and waited for him to resume his spot in the other chair. Chris propped an elbow on the armrest, tucked a fist against the side of his head and turned to give me a bored expression.
"Can you shut off just one strand of electricity?"
Oh, that caught his dead attention.
"Yeah," he drew the word out. "I can, but which one and why?"
When I explained my idea and what I wanted him to do, he looked me straight in the eye and called me stupid. Then he smirked and said he was up for it. I chuckled as I watched Sparky start to, what I guess, meditate and become with the circuits or something.
Apparently, it was easier than I thought it would have been because two minutes later, he snapped his eyes open and they were a brighter blue. I guess it had something to do with the electrical current or something.
"They'll kill you, you realize." Chris warned as he keyed in several commands and had the Rec room surveillance on the largest screen.
"Thus the reason I am hiding in the only room that locks from the inside." I remarked snidely.
We waited for the optimal time to strike. See, I talked Chris into cutting the feed of the television that was showing the football game. Not only would he kill the electric for a few seconds, causing an entire reboot of the system, but we were waiting for a precarious time, like the last fifteen seconds and a make-or-lose touchdown.
Oh, the groans, curses, and shouts of fury that flowed from their mouths when Chris struck had my accomplice and me rolling for hours.
Three days later and I was hiding out in the boathouse. Actually, it was something I had to do since I was still grounded (one more week!). Jean stuck me with the most boring thing on earth to do, breaking spaghetti noodles into small pieces. It wasn't a real pain…unless you'd been doing it for ten minutes straight. My fingers hurt and my thumbs were red and sore.
"This isn't cooking."
"Every great recipe starts with the ingredients."
"Tell that to a TV diner," I countered. The door bell chimed and I jumped up to answer it.
Swinging the door open I smiled at seeing Adam (hopefully my salvation) standing there. "Hey! Do you need something?"
"Uh," the boy genius was a nice shade of red as he stepped to the side. My happiness came crashing down faster than Martha Stewart's stocks. "You have a visitor."
Alexis. I crossed my arms. Her dad was with her. His hand firmly planted on her slumped shoulder.
Aw, crrraaaaaaap!
I didn't have my image inducer on! I started to back up, freak out, and generally lose it.
"It's okay, Kookie." Scott had his hand on my shoulders, stopping me from my retreat. "Jean is taking care of everything."
"B-b-b-b-"
"Everything." Oh! Right, ev-re-thing, I understood! I felt the sweat stop and sighed in relief.
"Mr. Summers, I'm Moses Mickle, Alexis' father?" Scott smiled and shook his hand. The younger people were standing out of the way nervously. "I'm sorry, sir, to be meeting again under such horrible circumstances."
Dad tipped his head to the side in confusion.
"Mr. Mickle, Alexis, perhaps we could continue talking in the living room?" Jean, who appeared at the perfect moment offered. We herded into the living room as instructed. Adam was excused and from the way he was eying Alexis, he was going to be back or asking me some questions dealing with her phone number.
"What's this about?" Jean asked after playing the perfect little hostess and passing out drinks and everything.
"It seems as though my daughter had finally deemed me worthy of the truth. You see, before, when she told me about the night she came home drunk," He eyed his daughter, she hung her head lower. "I thought Alexis had gotten hold of the alcohol at your house." Jean raised a bit, seemingly insulted, but he raised his hand. "Apparently, I was wrong."
He went on to relive and retell the events of the night, well, the parts Alexis remembered. Thankfully she couldn't clearly remember coming back to the boathouse only that I was there.
The 'adults' talked about it and finally, Mr. Mickle got up and asked if it was okay to leave the 'girls' alone to say their peace. As soon as they were out of hearing range my arms crossed and my eyes narrowed.
"I'm sorry, Kerry," Alexis said quietly. "You were right. I had a long talk with my brother, it made everything better."
"Micah or Michael?" She smiled like she just saw a one car funeral.
"David," Alexis answered.
My eyebrow rose to the roof. Who the heck was David? "You're imaginary brother?"
"He's my older brother by two years. He died three years ago."
I swear cold water struck me out of nowhere. What do you say to that? I mean, I stuck my big fat foot in my bigger and fatter mouth without even realizing it. "Oh."
Alexis' eyes were trying not to tear, and I knew if she started to cry I most likely would too.
"He would be twenty now." I went to say something, but I found nothing worth saying which was worth hearing. "David was in a car accident. He had been at a party and had too much and-well…"
I sat still. I felt like a heartless witch. How could I have asked her something like if she had an 'imaginary brother'? What an idiot I am! It was just about as dumb as telling Cable I had a bigger gun! Dumb dumb dumb!
"I'm sorry too, Alexis." I muttered out a few minutes later. "I shouldn't have gotten all mad and stuff. It wasn't very nice."
"That's okay, I'm used to it." Alexis started to laugh when I finally realized I'd been insulted!
"Hey!"
"I'm guessing you two are done?" Mr. Mickle came back into the room and said this couldn't be a social visit since Alexis was grounded. We said our good-byes and I felt a sliver better because I had my normal friend back. A friend who smiled at Adam (who had waited to take them back to their car at the mansion) and mouthed back to me 'single?'.
Shutting the door, I went back to the kitchen. Jean and Scott were talking about something and when they turned and eyed me with crossed arms I fought the urge to run.
Oh no, what now?
"So, Kerry." I was dead. I didn't know what I had done, but I was dead nonetheless. "We had an interesting conversation with Moses. He says that Alexis was brought home by some strange man." I was so dead. I knew why and I was still going to get run through by these people. The thought of the death and murder on the video came back to my forethought and made my stomach lurched. "He also said that Alexis said it was the same guy, she thinks who drove the both of you here."
Scott jumped in at this point. "Mind telling us who this knight in a shining Ford is?"
Out of the frying pan and straight into the fire.
Two days after singing and dancing around the 'Who is this Jack guy' with Jean and Dad, I was sitting in the co-pilot's seat. My hands were gripped into the arm rests, the claws helped take chunks out of arm rests. I was freaking out.
Chris was the pilot.
Chris was the pilot and I was stuck there with him. Stuck in the plane, in the air and with the rest of the team, except Adam and Daisy. Since we were missing two of our people, Iceman and Dr. Hank were there instead.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Yes." Chris ground out. "I'm really getting sick of being asked that!"
"Let the man drive!" Julie snapped out.
I glared at her. "I'm glad you want to be so friendly with death, I don't."
"You're faking. I know, I can see your emotions, stupid." Apparently she wasn't sensing my heat vision glare -o-death on her. "Besides," Julie muttered in a lower voice. "You're making me want to vomit with your lovesickness."
I snapped forward faster than - well, things that snap forward really fast.
"It's bad enough I have to witness it on a daily basis. I don't really want to hear about it too." Chris snapped.
Jack started to laugh, Dr. Hank looked confused and the other traveler wisely clammed up. Good boy.
"What are we doing anyway? Alone?" Adrian asked after about two minutes of blessed silence.
I shrugged, "Something to do with beating back a random and weak mutant who decided to take over the world." I rolled my eyes. "He decided to start with a cheese factory in Wisconsin."
"Ho-kay, that's just stupid." Iceman added. He was supposed to be a chaperone on this little trip. Lucky him no doubt. "Anyone got a cracker for this guy?"
"Must be the same place your sense of humor died." Chris remarked dryly. "Switching…" he rambled off in some kind of code. Scott insisted that we report every time we flipped a switch or punched a doohickey.
"So we going to recruit this guy?" Julie piped up again.
"No. We already have weak and pathetic person on this team and I doubt you want to be replaced so quickly." Chris looked smug as the flames started to appear. "Although I wouldn't be complaining."
"Quiet." I finally took up the leader crown when I knew the conversation was going to spiral down into a petty name calling fight. Chris and I were the only ones allowed to get that childish. Besides, I didn't want any one distracting him while piloting.
"This has got to be one colossal joke," Iceman groaned, shaking his head.
"This is not a job for us; it's a job for psychiatrist."
"Scott has Dr. Frese on speed dial." Bobby-Jerk shrugged. I rapped him on the back of his head. "Hey! Save it for Cheese-Whiz!" What a baby, wasn't like I hit him that hard.
"Behave you two." Dr. Hank warned. "We are here to shut this mutant down. Even though he did not pick the most intimidating of places to launch an attack, we still don't know if he is lethal."
"What's he going to do?" Bobby-Jerk asked, hitting my shoulder in retaliation. "Threaten to use oil instead of milk?"
I sighed. "We could always lure him out by taunting him." I smiled falsely. "You could be the bait."
He lifted an eyebrow. "You're only saying that because I'm the cute one."
"Yo, beauty pageant contestants," Chris called. "Can we get back on track?"
"Fine. Beast, go to the main floor; make sure it's cleared out. Chris, I need you on standby encase the head-job gets mean so you can fry the wires and kill the electricity. Julie, locate the mad man. If he is on a one man angst hit parade, he'll be easy to find. Adrian, check the second floor. Ice-child, you get the third floor." A quick nod and of course a minor rant, and everyone went to their jobs.
I took to the air, deciding to strike from the roof of the cheese factory. I would say 'cheesy' but that would be-cheesy. The roof was empty. I was glad.
Going to what I guessed was the door leading to the stairwell, I ducked inside (no, that was not a bird joke).
"He's on the second floor," Blackflame reported. "My job's done. Have fun."
Deep-breaths-count- ten- nine-
"Don't even think about it. Go to the second floor. Help Flex."
She grumbled out something and then Bobby-Jerk reported in. "How come I have to take orders from someone who isn't even a legal adult?"
"Because my maturity outranks yours."
"That's a matter of opinion."
"Kids," Dr. Hank cut in again. "Mission. Mutant. Save the factory. Any of this sound familiar?"
"Vaguely," Bobby-Jerk and I replied the same time. I slipped further into the building. It stunk of diary. Going down the flight of stairs to the second floor, I was met with Dr. Hank who opened the door and we passed through silently.
BOOM
Instinct opened my wings, training made me grab Beast before he fell. That explosion took out the metal walkway we had been standing on. I flapped my wings, shifting Beast's weight from one shoulder to the next, trying not to drop him.
"No one shall ever defeat me!" This maniac started cackling, and it was that obnoxious noise which led me toward him. Bobby had an ice wall up in front of a burning Julie (emotions, not fire). Chris must still have been outside; Adrian was looking down from the third floor railing. I cut upward and at the same time I released Dr. Hank. He had a one way ticket straight to the lunatic-in-a-cheap-cape's head.
That's when a flash went off; all of us were temporarily sightless. I was flying blind and ended up smacked straight into the side of one of the large metal vats. From the vat, I slid down (most ungracefully) and fell backwards to a heap on the ground right by Dr. Hank's furry feet.
We got our vision back shortly thereafter.
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that was his power." Bobby-Jerk groaned, climbing up to his feet.
"There was no him." Beast pointed out, picking up the clothes the bad guy had been wearing. "Or he is a teleported who has now become a streaker."
"What was the point of all this then?" Julie snapped, clearly unhappy. My head was spinning and Adrian had to aid me to my feet.
"Practice?" Bobby-offered. This time Julie rapped him on the back of the head.
