Merry Christmas!
TW: Reference and Implied Child Abuse
The Shrink — Chapter Six
The jet vibrated like a soft hum of a cat's purr as it slowed it's speed. He buckled his restraints a little tighter, he was never really one for flying but he supposed now he'd better get bloody used to it. Terry Buckards glanced to his left up to the cockpit of the Quin-jet. He saw out the glass panel of the windshield, the grey sky and the various buildings that were tall enough to see.
"This is S.H.I.E.L.D Fifty-Two-Seven requesting permission to land." The pilot said up ahead. Agent Remackory, he remembered. After a few silent and still moments, the woman spoke again. "Thank you, sir, initiate landing procedure."
The relaxing hum of a cat morphed into the shaking intensity that was similar to his fifteen year old batted dryer.
Bloody hell, he really needed a new one before it made his house go up in flames.
Terry focused on his breathing and remaining calm, these S.H.I.E.L.D guys knew what they were doing, if they didn't he wouldn't be here. Either because they would have crashed— or he wouldn't have taken the job Phil Coulson required him for.
A phycologist for aliens.
The whole thing was rather an accident, a complete accident, an accident that had the smallest-of-slivers of even happening. But it did. And a then few days later he was called and offered a job.
And then here he was— landing in a secret base in an invisible plane.
Fun right?
The plane— or Quin-Jet, as they called it— rocked as it was set down.
Who was Quin anyway? And why did he have his own jet?
So many questions.
Terry unbuckled the contraption that is somehow still named a seat belt and followed behind the pilot, who had just slammed his fist into a red button on the side. A second later the ramp at the back of the jet started lowering. It revealed at first a whole bunch of smoke, Terry waved his hand in front of his face and coughed the small bit of smoke or gas that reached his lungs.
Once the smoke finally cleared away it showed a figure, Phil Coulson. Terry made his way down the ramp. The pilot on the other hand had stopped, nodded at Coulson, then went on his way. Terry held out his hand once he was close enough.
"Phil," He greeted with his Australian accent. "It's good to see you— some hell-of-a ride you got there." Terry nodded his head back to the plane he just arrived on.
"Terry," Phil smiled and shook his hand, with the one hell-of-a grip too. "Just wait 'till you see Zephyr one."
"Oh, I've seen it," Terry mused, then laughed. "I thought the Aliens had come back for revenge."
"Well, you're not far off." Phil said with a chuckle. They started walking out of the holy-gigantic hanger. "Hope the ride here wasn't too bumpy, Mother Nature decided to use the Alien's revenge card for herself."
"Hey, I'm not one for flying— but, that sweet-baby is one smooth lift." Terry said, eyeing up the Quin-Jet that was over his shoulder.
He did have to admit it was a very impressive plane, despite his fears.
"I want to thank you for coming here with such a long trip." Phil said. "We've been in a bit of a tight spot with the inhumans recently. We're doing the best we can to help them. Some of the newly arrived ones aren't adjusting too well, along with some others. And some of the older ones are starting to feel restless, alone, cramped, all of the above. Plus, they just started to run out of shows and movies to watch on the big screen— quarantine sucks. We're hopin' you can help with that."
"I dunno, Phil. There's only so many shows I can recommend." He chuckled softly. "I will try though."
And he really meant it. While it wasn't fair to these people, they were kept under lock and key… it was far too dangerous for them to be amongst others still, at-least until they have control over their powers. And have the discipline not to use them.
Terry took in the explanation Phil gave him. Isolation never really did anyone some good, well... never any sane people.
Usually the isolation is what drove them to be crazed.
"As you know," Phil went on. "We have certain protocols you have to follow. Starting with a blood test, and couple questions we need to ask you."
"I'm not one to be afraid of needles and I will happily answer any questions you may throw at me. Unless it's the pin to my bank account, then that's a no."
"Ah, don't worry. My hacker probably wouldn't even need it anyways." Phil joked.
Terry could hear the father-pride in his voice. It was the same voice Terry used when he talked about his son, which was slightly interesting to say the least considering they were talking about his bank account info.
"Oh, that's comforting." Terry remarked dryly.
Phil sighed with a found smile on his face. "Really is," he shook his head.
Just as they were close to exiting the hanger Terry noticed a rather large man— a man who'd probably give one-of-them aliens a run for their money— hunched over a rather fine looking motorbike. The man had broad shoulders that were very apparent in his grey singlet, motor grease staining the shirt as well as his hands, a head with shiny-ness that rivaled his tile flooring, and dark skin.
Phil cleared his throat which alerted the large man to their presence, he turned around. "Dr. Buckerds, this— is Agent Mackenzie, our mechanic, and resident tank." Phil introduced.
The man— Agent Mackenzie smiled at him as he rubbed his hand on a small washcloth, Terry saw the confusion in his eyes.
"This is Dr. Buckerds, the new phycologist."
"Call me Mack." He held out his hand.
Buckerds shook the outstretched hand. "Call me Terry,"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."
The hesitation Mack tried to hide did not go unnoticed by the phycologist, then again Terry was well aware of the guy he was replacing, and how awkward this must be.
"It's good to meet you too." Terry stated. Phil nodded his head towards the large yellow door that was a couple meters away, Terry understood the meaning he nodded too.
"Hope to see you around, mate. That motorbike of yours is a beaut'."
And then he headed off after Phil.
The man walked fast— too fast for Terry's old man legs to catch up. He made it work though, he needed the exercise for sure. After rounding a few too many corners and Coulson pointing out what each doorway led to where, he attempted to get a feel for the place. While the tour was nice, Terry determined this place to be a bloody labyrinth. All the hallways looked the same, it was impossible to tell anything. They finally stopped walking at what Phil called the Science and Technology Lab.
His legs were jumping with glee at the rest.
As he looked around the room, it honestly looked like a battle took place here. There were black trash bags in the corner of what he assumed was filled with glass. There were glassless windows upon entering the lab which is what caused that suspicion of what was in the bags. There were also a few brooms and dustpans laying around the lab as well, a lot of the machines and computers looked broken and there were piles of stacked papers. Then there were also cardboard boxes filled with new equipment to replace the now damaged ones.
"What happened here?" Terry inquired. "Did a bomb go off?"
"A— tornado actually,"
That only confused Terry more, and Phil left no further information before calling out to two people. "Agent Fitz, Simmons!"
Immediately a pair who were bundled next to each other staring at a computer screen whipped around. Both were in off-white lab coats, one of the two was sporting clear protective goggles resting on their forehead. Both looked alarmed at first then smiled after they recognized their director. It's like they were in sync.
It was creepy.
"Is there a situation, sir?" The young lady with slightly curly dark brown hair asked, at the same exact time the young man with light colored curls asked. "Is something going down?"
Terry immediately recognized the different accents the pair held. Proper British, and Glasgow Scotland— respectively.
Coulson smiled and gestured towards Terry. "No, but, I would like to introduce you to Dr. Buckards."
"Oh! Are you the new psychologist?" The young lady asked. "It's lovely to meet you then."
"Likewise Agent…" Terry trailed off hoping either of them would provide him a name. Coulson said Fitz and Simmons, he just didn't know which name went where.
"Simmons," The young man pointed to the young lady, then pointed to himself. "Fitz."
Terry nodded, thanks.
Phil pointed to the young lady. "Agent Simmons here will take your blood so we have on file and to test it for the inhuman gene as a precaution."
Terry understood, part of the protocols.
Agent Simmons smiled sweetly at him. "We can never be too sure." She took off the safety goggles and started walking towards the left of the lab. "Follow me please, Dr. Buckerds."
Terry complied to any testing or samples Agent Simmons needed. It didn't hurt that much and now he was sporting a rather fancy brown bandage on his left arm. Once Agent Simmons was done, she assured him the results will be in soon, then promptly rushed off to go examine the sample.
Terry followed Phil to a rather secluded part of the base and brought him to what it seemed like an electric chair.
Another protocol, answer a few questions and he'd have his very own colorful lanyard. Basically, a key to get around base, and to show he was trustworthy. It also gave him access to all the inhuman's rooms. He just had to take the test first.
He trusted Phil, and he knew the man has had some problems in the past with trust... so he listened and subjected himself to the chair. Whether it had electric capabilities or not. He had to admit he was a little nervous, but how could he not be?
"Okay, Dr. Buckards. I'm just going to ask you some easy questions to start— establish a baseline." The Agent Phil introduced to be Koenig stated. Terry nodded while looking around the room. He couldn't help himself, it was kinda cool despite his fears of being electrocuted.
"What is your full name?" Agent Koenig asked.
"Terry Elliot Buckards."
Agent Koenig glanced down at the screen in front of him, then he asked his next question. "What is your eye color?"
"Brown I think," Terry said. "It changes."
"Have you ever been married?"
"Only to the ex-wife. Didn't end well." He explained.
"She break up with you? Or the other way around?" Agent Koenig asked.
"She decided to become a magician actually, she wanted to make herself disappear. Santa granted that wish." Terry joked. He'd come to terms with it a while ago, but he still won't forget that day, and on Christmas nonetheless.
Agent Koenig hummed in understanding. "Please list your immediate family."
"My Son, my sister, and Mum and Da."
"What is the difference between an egg and a rock?"
"Rocks are for collecting." Terry said. "Eggs are for healthy breakfasts and unhealthy treats."
"You're not wrong there," Agent Koenig chuckled. "What is your work profession?"
"Phycology," Terry stated. "I work to help people get through their traumatic experiences and to help them take steps forward in their life's."
"You wash up on a desert island alone. Sitting in the sand is a box." Agent Koenig explained. "What is in that box?"
"My son." Terry said instantly, but after a few more thoughts he figured they never said how big the box would be. "As well as a boat and a helmsman to get us the hell out of there."
Agent Koenig chuckled at that. "Smart," He glanced down at the computer screen. "Alright," He cleared his throat. "Why are you here?"
Terry noticed the shift in attitude in the Agent as he got serious.
"To do the job Phil Coulson hired me for, to help people. To help the Inhumans get through their experience of being here." Terry said without hesitation.
Agent Koenig nodded. "Have you ever heard of the term Inhuman before you met Phill Coulson?"
Terry nodded searching his brain for where. "Yes,"
Agent Koenig looked down again. "When and where was the first time you heard the term Inhuman?"
"I was in my living room— watching the news." Terry racked his mind for a when, nothing specific came to mind. "It was a morning," He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "A Monday morning… recently."
"Have you ever heard of HYDRA?" Agent Koenig questioned.
"Yes," Terry answered. "Also on the news, they seem to be a hot topic every few months."
"Have you ever had any contact, or have any ties with anyone in— or involved with HYDRA?"
Terry shook his head. "Not to any of my knowledge."
"Up until a month ago, have you ever heard of S.H.I. ?"
Terry nodded. "Once again, in the news, first around the time when S.H.I.E.L.D fell… Or I guess it didn't."
"We're sneaky," Agent Koenig commented. "Up until a month ago, did you have any contact or ties to anyone within S.H.I.E.L.D?"
"Once again, not to my knowledge."
"Last question," Terry nodded. "Are you HYDRA?"
"I sure hope not." Terry joked. Agent Koenig looked down at the computer, then gave him a small glare. Terry realized he probably should answer properly.
"No. I'm not HYDRA."
After a couple seconds of silence Agent Koenig smiled. "Alright, lets go get you a lanyard Dr. Buckards."
Much to Lukian's surprise, Ms. Bobbi and Mr. Hunter actually fulfilled their promise.
They actually brought pizza down for him.
They even brought their own slices down with them and stayed to eat with him. And it was pretty nice to have company… despite Hunter and Bobbi's bickering. Lukian honestly wasn't sure if they were joking or not, it was pretty hard to tell. Then again, he also didn't even know what they were talking about, hell, he doubted they even did.
"Is that all?!" Mr. Hunter explained.
"No! Of course that's not all! I'm not a freaking idiot, Hunter."
Mr. Hunter rolled his eyes. "Well that's debatable at points. Remember Toronto don't you?"
"No, I don't actually, and you know that." Ms. Bobbi stated.
Mr. Hunter smiled at that. "Well then, maybe you shouldn't-of dove head-first into a wall, Love."
"You said I got drunk." Ms. Bobbi said through clenched teeth, she narrowed her eyes.
Mr. Hunter took a swig of his beer. "Technically it was both. Your intoxicated state is what led you to dive into a wall like a crazy person."
"Whatever," Ms. Bobbi said, she put her pizza crust down. "I don't care whatever the hell happened."
"You asking Mack a million questions about it says otherwise."
Yeah, Lukian had no idea what they were even talking about. But it was slightly amusing… to a point… and that is when they weren't yelling each other's heads off.
"Can I ask a question?" Lukian inquired.
"Sure, mate." Mr. Hunter replied. "Free country."
Lukian smiled. "Okay, so what actually did happen in Toronto?"
When Mr. Hunter and Ms. Bobbi wasn't arguing, they were telling Lukian about missions they went on— Ms. Bobbi would state the facts and what happened, and Mr. Hunter would make it funny. The stories themselves were actually extremely cool and exciting, though they would both suddenly stop talking at a point and Ms. Bobbi's ears would go red and glare at Mr. Hunter who was smirking. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened.
And Lukian did not want to think about that.
Lukian definitely noticed the small sparkle in Ms. Bobbi's eyes when he had asked that, she was looking expediently at Mr. Hunter.
"Bobbi got drunk and ran into a wall, were you not listening?" Mr. Hunter asked in a joking tone.
"You said it was a free country." Lukian stated, he was actually really hoping for that story. They way Mr. Hunter talked about it and made it seem like it was a good one.
"I did, but that's classified." Mr. Hunter gave a smug grin, Ms. Bobbi glared at him. "What? I've always wanted to say that to somebody."
"You're just still angry about last week when Mack said that to you."
Just then the door opened, the whistling grew louder as someone walked into the completely color blinded room. It was some agent that Lukian didn't know the name of.
"Hey, the director wants you two upstairs." The man spoke to Ms. Bobbi and Mr. Hunter. "Says it's important."
And suddenly Agent whatever-his-name-is was on Lukian's hated list, and a buzz kill.
Mr. Hunter groaned. "Which means that's classified," He said as he stood up.
Bobbi followed suit. "Shut up,"
She looked over at Lukian as she collected the discarded paper plates and Pizza crusts. Unlike the two agents though, Lukian ate his crusts because he wasn't a crazy person, and honestly it was the second best part. Plus who wastes pizza like that? It's still edible— people disregard it like the plague.
"I guess we'll see you later, kid." Ms. Bobbi said.
Lukian nodded. "Thanks— for the pizza, and for the stories."
Both Mr. Hunter and Ms. Bobbi smiled then left for the door…. but then Bobbi stopped and turned back around.
"Sh— Crap," She swore, and rolled her eyes at Lukian's amused smirk. "I almost forgot. At two-thirty the new Phycologist is coming to meet with you."
Son of a—
"Phycologist?" Lukian groaned and slouched down on the spotless couch. "Not again."
"Again?" Ms. Bobbi echoed.
All the adults in the room exchanged a look, a look Lukian could care less about. He closed his eyes and took a few breaths, seriously hoping he wouldn't cause a tornado. But he could hear the white noise getting louder and felt the subtle breeze in his hair.
"Not by choice." He sneered.
"Okay well, he's only here to talk with you— get to know you and see how well you're doing." Ms. Bobbi stated. "It's protocol, you don't have a say in it…" She paused. "Again. I'm sorry."
"Hm-Hmm," Lukian sighed. Sure you were.
More people to add to the hate list.
If it was up to him, he would never see a Phycologist ever again, they always made you talk about the stuff you didn't even want to think about. The things that you kept far— far away because otherwise you'd be an emotional mess. And considering right now he had tornado powers that were triggered by thinking about those things he didn't want to think about, it was a bad mix.
Him and physiologist were a bad mix to begin with, he hated— no despised them.
They were paid to care— if you could even call it that at that point— they didn't care about whatever happened to you, let alone have any sympathy or pity either.
Then again he most definitely didn't want anyone's sympathy or pity, he hated the look people give when they do.
Ms. Bobbi and Mr. Hunter, and the unknown Agent must have left the room while he was focusing on calming himself down, the whistling of his steady breathing was actually very soothing. It put him in a trancelike state, almost. But hey, at least he didn't cause a natural disaster… or at-least he didn't think he did.
Lukian lifted his left wrist up to check the watch they gave him to monitor his vital, his heart rate read:
115 BPM
Dr. Simmons explained to him that because he was inhuman, that his heart-rate would a little faster than normal, then he was also still a kid so it was even faster. So over a hundred beats-per-minute isn't too concerning as a resting heart rate.
This watch didn't just check his heart-rate though, it also gave him the time— two-fifteen pm, you could set alarms on it, or call someone in if something was wrong— or if you wanted something.
It had many uses, but the one he was most thankful for was the time feature— because without it he would honestly be wide awake at three-am but sound asleep at two-pm.
But since he couldn't sleep last night, he worked on the items he borrowed from the Science Lab yesterday.
While there wasn't much he could do honestly without tools, he did inspect the other parts inside the little ear-piece. From what he could tell it worked like a radio, he was pretty sure it connected to a server, and had a tracker and mic in it. He was able to take the tracker out of both of them with the use of his handy-dandy pen.
The pen sucked to write stuff but wasn't bad for taking out tiny trackers in ear….
Radios?
He honestly wasn't sure what they were but he really didn't care. As long as he could repurpose them then that's all that mattered to him, because he was sure he had tinnitus at this point.
I'm fine—
Lukian took the little case out from inside the coffee's table storage place. It opens up to create a little container, he is currently using it for the three outfits he had, and for a hidden hiding spot for his... again… borrowed items. While it wasn't much of a hiding spot he didn't really have much to work with. He had the little black box stuffed underneath his clothes and hidden in one of the cargo pants' pockets.
Lukian took the little parts out and fished for the pen in his right pocket. He took the pen apart and just used the ink holster and the tip. Lukian took the ear gadget that had the blown out battery and spread it out in his palm.
He got to work.
It was overly difficult working such tiny equipment and parts. Scratch that— it was excruciatingly difficult. He had to worry about remembering exactly how the blown out battery was secured, then he also had to worry about not damaging the other parts while he took it out. Which, might he add— not easy. But eventually he got it out. Now all Lukian had to do was replace the battery with the new one.
Or at-least he hoped it was new, if not he was just screwed.
He just couldn't live with the constant whistling and static— or whatever-it-was. It was giving him a big headache, a bigger one than school gave him.
Which was saying a lot.
He just wanted to turn it off, or turn it down, or something!
Anything!
It was damn pissing him off and he wanted the sound gone! It never ended and he felt like his head would pop.
I'm fine—
It took a while, with extreme care and precision, but he got the new battery in and secured. He was about to start looking at the mic and figure out what he wanted to do with that. He, to be honest, had no use for it at the moment.
Though could be useful to him later.
If he ever got out of here.
But… the sound of the big door sliding open and the whistling grow made him freeze in his tracks immediately and shove everything back in the case and under his clothes. He quietly and swiftly closed the top to the coffee table with practiced ease.
The old guy who just walked in and didn't seem to notice. Lukian checked his watch discreetly to see what the time was, while resembling the pen casually. He made it look like he was doing it out of boredom and not because he was almost caught in the act. While his pulse was well over two-hundred, the time read:
2:31 PM
Motherf—
It had been a long— long morning.
Though, if you were to be technical— it was the afternoon at this point.
Terry had visited seventeen Inhumans already today, and had double checked over Dr. Garner's previous evals of each, then recreated his own. Today's sessions were just getting to know them, see how they are adjusting on a low level, and what their power is and how it affects them individually.
So far everyone he's visited has been extremely nice and cooperative with talking with him. Apart from one or two who were just naturally shy. Or they were slightly uncomfortable with the idea of talking about themselves, which isn't uncommon.
The day has gone smoothly, he was up to his last Inhuman visit today— then it was a bunch of filing— more paperwork (Yay!), then after that he would be done for the day.
Only this inhuman was moderately different from all the other ones.
When Phil told him it was a child he immediately froze in his tracks and had to take a second to jump start his brain for it to work properly again. While it's not like he was specifically told only adults contain the alien gene inside them— he also didn't even think about for a second what would happen if a kid did go through Terrigenesis.
And for a while he was really glad the though never came to mind.
Until now.
Phil told him this kid hasn't had it easy either. He was taken captive at gunpoint, then put into stasis for three months (but he doesn't know that), after he woke up he somehow escaped the previous Phycologist Dr. Garner— or as they called him, Lash. And then finally yesterday he had a really bad allergic reaction, passed on a Quin-Jet, then to top it all off created a tornado and destroyed the science lab.
Phil filled him in on all of that when he handed him the kid's file.
Terry was surprised by the lack of personal information the kid had— hell, they didn't even have a last name. All the other inhumans had full names, addresses, family, work profession, gym subscriptions, bills, social media, basic health info, health risks, what caused Terrigenesis, how their powers work and what they are, what their personality is like— basic information in general.
This is all what was said in his file:
Name:
LUKIAN
Sex:
MALE
Address:
QUEENS ~ (MOSTLY)
Height:
144CM
Weight:
31.7KG
Age:
13
Health risks:
SOMETHING IN PENTOBARBITAL SEDATIVE ~ STILL TESTING ~ DO NOT GIVE SEDATIVE
Terrigen exposure:
FISH-TACOS
Inhuman Power:
SENSITIVE HEARING ~ TORNADOS ~ POSSIBLE AIR MANIPULATION
Personality:
SNARKY, FUNNY, COMPASSIONATE, SPUNKY, FRENDLY
There was that in his file, then also the whole bundle of stuff Phil explained to him... and that was it.
His file was only one page, while everyone else's was no less than twenty and were double sided. Phil had said if he had to guess (from what his hacker told him), then it was HYDRA who had probably deleted everything known about this kid— maybe as to cover their tracks.
You can't be accused of kidnapping a kid if they didn't exist.
He had also said he had his best person working on figuring out who this kid's family was. That way he can go home to his parents as soon as possible, and Terry had definitely agreed with that. This was no place for a kid.
Inhuman or not.
Terry walked into the identical white hexagon paneled room carrying a folding chair and a clipboard (the pen was in his pocket). The first thing he noticed was that it appeared as if there was no one in the room, but he knew Lukian was on the couch.
The second thing he took notice of was barely after he stepped into the room he heard some ruffling and a soft click. When Terry finally stepped around the containment module— as they called it— he found the kid looking bored as hell dismantling a pen.
While the kid looked like he had absolutely no idea whatsoever that a stranger had just stepped into his room with a folding chair— Terry could tell he was completely aware of his presence.
Terry unfolded the chair and sat down in it, clearly making enough noise for the kid not to be able to not notice he was there, but he still didn't look up.
At this point Lukian was just staring at the pen and twirling it between fingers.
Terry took notice of Lukian's appearance— the baggy; much too big clothing attracting his attention first. Second was the kid's very thin and small frame— he was sure he could see the kid's ribs even through the loose-fitting clothing. This kid did not look thirteen, he looked eleven— ten, maybe. To be honest it worried Terry how little he looked, he remembered when his own son was thirteen and he was much bigger than the kid in front of him.
The third thing Terry noticed was the blonde hair that danced around everywhere as if it hadn't been combed this morning. The fourth thing he noticed was the bags under the kid's bright blue eyes giving away the fact he got little sleep. And the last thing was the hives that lingered on him like spots on a dalmation (but he knew that was from the allergic reaction yesterday).
It had been a solid forty seconds of silence while Terry examined the kid in front of him, and in those forty seconds Lukian had yet to look up once. Terry sighed in his slightly uncomfortable seat.
"Hey there, mate." He started softly, not wanting to startle the kid, it's obvious there was a reason for the kid's closed off dimenor. "My name's Terry, I'm only here to have a nice chat with you."
Nothing.
Though, he did notice there was the tiniest of breezes in the air.
"I've been told that you call yourself Lukian?" Terry tested the waters.
He saw the smallest of twitches at the corner of the kid's mouth, but he still didn't acknowledge him.
Hey, at-least it was something.
Terry leaned back in the chair, it creaked with the motion. "How has your day been today?" He started out simple.
Nada.
He tried a different route. "Is something unsettling you there? Is there something I can help with?"
It took a second but Lukian finally titled his head up and looked Terry in the eye, all he saw in the kid's glare was anger and hate. The breeze slightly increased. Terry was confused.
"I'm fine," The kid blurted out so fast it seemed to have surprised himself. "You can stop acting like you care, you can leave." The boy's voice held the same tightness as his jaw.
Terry softened. "There's no acting here, kiddo. I do care. I care because you're a kid that went through a tough experience. An experience that even some adults aren't coping well with. And I like to help people… people like you."
Lukian brought his knees up to his chest and let out a humorless chuckle. "Sure,"
He became interested in his pen once more. The breeze stayed at its current pace, Terry's white/ grey hair blew around on the top of his head.
Terry eyed the young teen for a moment. Clearly something wasn't right, he was giving of the exact opposite impression of what was in his file. He thought back to the glare he was given a couple seconds ago, pure hate and anger. Terry suddenly knew exactly what was upsetting him, it was Terry. Not Terry specifically, but his kind— a shrink.
"Hey, I'm here to just talk with you as a friend." Terry put the clipboard down on the coffee table that was separating the two, Terry noticed the kid's almost panicked look when he made a motion for the table. "No writing stuff down, no analyzing. Just you— and me."
"So, Lukian, how was your day?" His gravely Australian accent giving off the most friendly vibe it could.
Lukian glanced at him again and titled his head, there was curiosity in his eyes. He could see it was trying to break through the layer of anger.
"You from Australia?"
That question surprised him a bit truthfully.
It was progress. I'll take it.
"Yes, I— for the matter-of-the-fact am." Terry admitted, hoping he answered his question that the kid will return the favor.
Lukian looked down at the pen again. "I had a friend who's from Australia." He muttered.
Terry took notice of the past tense that was used and the sadness embedded into his voice. "What's their name? Maybe I know 'em." Terry joked.
Lukian didn't seem amused. The kid sighed softly as the breeze flowing through the air grew more. "Celeb Dougg."
Terry nodded slowly. "Hmm… sounds like a good fellow. I know a few Celeb's, none with the surname Dougg though, sorry son."
Terry recognized the kid's tense shoulders, yet he had no clue what it meant for Lukian. Everyone's body language is different, the same action could mean something completely different on a different person— tense shoulders could mean they're uncomfortable, scared, or mad. Right now Terry was opting for the mad selection for Lukian.
"A name doesn't make a person." Lukian said quite softly, yet no less tense.
He wasn't gonna lie, Terry wasn't expecting the small wisdom from someone so small themself.
He let out a chuckle. "No, it doesn't." Terry agreed.
Lukian started taking apart the pen again once the silence resumed, he also put one knee back down again for it to touch the floor, then started swaying it back and forth in a rhythm. Terry noticed the small flickering in his eyes towards the coffee table, he had no idea what to make of it though.
"Aren't you going to ask me my life story— or are you just getting paid to stare at me?" Lukian retorted.
Terry laughed at the remark. "I'm not getting paid to stare at you, kid."
"No, you're getting paid to care—" Terry could hear the venom dripping in his voice. "I'm fine now, good work. Have a nice day."
Terry sighed softly. Obviously this kid was familiar with his type of work and had been probably forced to talk about whatever-it-was to someone who showed false care. Only he didn't know how he could show the kid that he really did care, and he really was worried. Terrigenesis wasn't easy for anyone, even with people who prepared for years for it.
"You may be doing good but I still want to have a conversation with you. I still want to get to know you." Terry said.
"So did the last one,"
Terry crossed his arms over his chest. This was one tough cookie. He had an idea though, hopefully it would work for the time being until the kid will open up.
"How about if you answer my questions, even vaguely, I'll leave."
Lukian seemed to ponder it. Even though his eyes were locked on the pen, they weren't focused on it. Eventually he nodded a small nod, Terry grinned internally.
"Thank you, Lukian." Terry said, he really wanted to show this kid he did care and was here for him. "Okay, what did you do today?"
"Stuff,"
Terry sighed, he knew he said vague but that was a little too vague.
"I could always stare at you for the next twenty minutes."
Lukian grumbled. "Movie— Pizza, stories."
"You watched a movie, had pizza, and read a story?" Terry confirmed. "Sounds like a fun day."
"Yes, yes, no." Lukian corrected. "Mr. Hunter and Ms. Bobbi were telling me stories from old missions."
Terry was surprised that the kid understood what the people here did, he wasn't fully sure that some of the adults understood. The kid must have noticed the surprise of his face.
"I'm not an idiot, nor am I two years old." Lukian said coldly. "I was also in the lab all day yesterday and people talk— loudly."
Terry nodded slowly, but somehow he didn't believe the last part about people talking loudly. These people were spies, they knew exactly when someone was listening in. But if the kid eavesdropped there was nothing he could do about it now.
"Do you know what your powers are?" Terry asked since he knew there had been some confusion over it.
"A natural disaster?" Lukian smirked.
From what Terry's seen when other inhumans joke about their newfound power, is usually it had been in self-hatred, or distaste. But all Terry could hear was just humor, it was just a joke. If anything he could almost see the excitement out of the kid's eye, though it was hard to tell since he wasn't even looking at Terry.
Terry chuckled. "You're in the right category."
"I can create a tornado or something, blah— blah— blah." He rolled his eyes. "We done yet?"
"You've only answered two questions, sorry kid."
Lukian sank in his seat grumbling something incoherent.
"How do you feel about your powers?" Terry inquired. This was important, it was important to know how he was adjusting and how he felt about himself now.
"It's cool." The kid said, then muttered. "Ju… 'ish the ….upid so'nd 'ill go ….way."
"What was that?" Terry wasn't fully sure if he had heard correctly but it was something about sound.
"Nothing,"
Terry hummed in response, but he knew it wasn't nothing. He let it slide for now.
"How was Terrigenesis for you? What happened?" Terry asked.
"It was fun to become one with the museum exhibits for a couple of minutes." Lukian remarked. "I wonder how much I'd go for,"
Terry knew a deflect when he heard one, especially since the kid's eyes darkened and he turned his head even further away. He knew the kid had been taken at gunpoint too, so that was even more traumatic.
"I need you to answer honestly or we'll be here awhile, my friend."
"It was like Disney. Happyness, sunshine, and rainbows." Lukian said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Terry laughed. "The first thing I think of when I think of Disney is the long lines. And my son begging me to go on Toy Story Mania one more time— not becoming one of those… museum exhibits as you called it."
"You have a son?" Lukian's curiosity picked up.
For only the second time this meeting: Lukian looked up.
"Yes, I do. His name is Dylan, he's twenty-two now." Terry informed him, completely aware of what game this kid was playing.
"What's he like?" Lukian asked, sitting up straighter now.
Terry almost laughed. "I know what you're doing, young man. It's not working I'm afraid."
Lukian smirked at the effort and shrugged his shoulders.
"Look, Lukian, I want to help you I really do… but you do have to cooperate with me." Terry said completely serious.
"Then you'll leave?"
Terry nodded. "Yes,"
Lukain sighed, he spoke quietly. "I thought someone dropped concrete on me as a joke... I thought I was gonna die."
"That's a reasonable response." Terry smiled slightly at the win. "What was going on when it happened?"
Lukain started to fidget with a bracelet on his wrist. "It was after baseball and me and my friend were eating tacos while walking back. For some absurd reason one of my friends got fish-tacos. At some point a car drove down the street, I'm positive the guy was drunk and was gonna crash. We made a bet on it— I lost and had to take a bite of the fish-taco."
He connected the dots.
"And for the record I hate fish." Lukian's nose crinkled in disgust. "Fish— is no doubt, the worst thing on the planet. Blah—" He gagged.
Terry snorted at the kid's antics.
"After the quick-dry clay-or-whatever started eating me," Terry noticed Lukian's hands had been trembling ever so slightly, before the kid had stuffed them in his pockets. The breeze in the room was back. "And before I was fully a piñata, my friends had stopped, screamed like little girls, then just started then started spiriting away." Lukian started cracking up. "They're faces— were hilarious."
Terry smiled, he was glad that Lukian was able to bring some joy out of the traumatic experience. He also noticed how the kid was becoming more relaxed or at least less cold, it might be out of hate because he just wanted him gone, but he'll take it.
He also noticed how the kid had almost completely skipped over the part of him actually going through terrigenesis and what happened after, he was deflecting no doubt. And he was doing it so subtly that Terry was almost impressed. Even so bottling up things and keeping them locked away wasn't healthy and was only going to hurt him later in life.
But… this was only the first session and the kid barely even trusted him, this was just to get to know him and understand how he is as a person.
He decided to change the subject, but still staying on track.
"You play baseball?" Terry didn't know much about the sport but he knew it was pretty big here in the states. "How is it?"
"I made the team, m'second base." The kid answered.
"Did you guys win any games so far?"
"It was only the first week of practice, there were no games for another month."
Terry hummed in response, he definitely didn't know enough about baseball to keep the conversation going unfortunately. He was an Australian give him a break.
"What do you miss the most about your old life right now?"
"Being outside," Lukian remarked, looking around the room as he spoke.
Terry only frowned in response, he knew Lukian meant it as a joke judging by his tone. But he still shouldn't be locked up here, even if it is for the best. Once again— he's just a kid, a kid who didn't deserve to live through this all.
"And what is the thing you dread about in your old life?" Terry questioned, pushing himself to go on.
"School." Lukian answered flatly, completely serious.
Terry chuckled. "Stay in school, kiddo. Trust me you will regret it later."
"Somehow I doubt that." Lukian said with a smirk.
Terry eyed the young teen carefully. "How was school for you anyways? How are your grades?"
"What, if I don't know my ABC's I can't leave?" Lukian quipped.
"Well it depends, if your grades are bad then, maybe, I can see if I could get you a tutor while you are here." Terry said, but really he was only pushing the kid's buttons… maybe.
Lukian crossed his arms. "Isn't it summer?"
Terry smirked at the kid's response. "Education is important, my friend, regardless of the time of year."
The kid rolled his eyes. "I'd rather enjoy my summer vacation and flunk, thank-you-very-much."
Terry laughed a good laugh. This kid was something for sure. "Alright, what is your favorite class?"
"Gym." He answered simply.
The older man gave him a look. Lukian raised his hands defensively with a smirk.
"What? It's on my schedule, it's a class! I learn stuff."
Terry shook his head. "What is your favorite academic class?"
Lukian let out a long breath. "Robotics,"
"Is that a class?" Terry asked. He never had a robotics class when he was a boy in school, then again he also went to school a long bit ago.
"An elective."
Terry hummed. "How is your grade in it?"
"Good," He was failing to hide his smile.
"How good?" Terry tested.
"Hundred an' two," Lukian mumbled into his shirt.
Terry was impressed, very impressed. I mean, how did you even get a hundred and two? Terry thought.
As if the kid could read his mind.
"I stayed after school everyday before practice. There's a solid hour and a half inbetween— got me extra credit." Lukian answer modestly
He nodded in understanding.
An hour and a half was a long time to wait at school for, but why not just go home?
Unless there was a problem with home…
Terry had observed throughout his whole conversation with the kid, he never once mentioned his family. He had mentioned his friends, but no family— he even did stuff after school to avoid going home early. Which got Terry worried as almost all the other inhumans mententioned how much they desperately missed their loved ones. And Terry desperately hoped it was nothing and there was nothing wrong with this kid's home.
It had better be.
He decided to ask a different question despite his unease on the probability.
"Do you know what caused the tornado last night?"
"The fish?" Lukian shrugged.
"Amusing,"
He gave the boy a look saying it would be better if you answered.
Lukian looked him in the eye. "I don't know…. really."
Terry could tell he meant it. But he also knew that these powers weren't triggered by nothing. Something must have happened.
"Lukian, how is your life at home— with your family?" Terry asked, since the kid wouldn't give him an answer— he switched topics.
Suddenly the kid's demeanor changed and tensed up, his eyes grew dark and he backed away a bit.
"How many more questions are there?" He asked impatiently, his voice was cold once more. Terry wasn't shocked by the kid's sudden defensiveness, in fact he was expecting it— but he was definitely concerned about it.
"Just a few more, Kiddo." Terry assured in a light voice.
Lukian huffed, Terry could tell he was becoming closed off again. Clearly something wasn't right.
"Is everything okay at home, Lukian?" Terry questioned more seriously. If there was an actual problem with this kid's living conditions, they needed to help him.
"How would I know I haven't been there in three months!" Lukian snapped.
His eyes widened seconds later making it apparent the words had slipped right out of his mouth.
Now this most definitely shocked Terry, Phil had told him the kid didn't know.
So how in the bloody-hell did he know?
Knowing you were frozen for three months was honestly just crazy as getting superpowers. He could only imagine what could be going through his mind. But Terry still couldn't wrap his mind around that… How did the kid know? They were super-spies for god's sake, they don't just leave information like that laying around.
"I saw the date on my file when I was in the lab." Lukian admitted softly there was something in his voice— was it fear? No. No, it was guilt. Heavy guilt. The wind started to pick up greatly. "It was just lying there."
Oh.
Maybe they did.
Huh.
"M'sorry," Lukian said. The kid looked like he was in almost tears. "That's was caused the tornado yesterday…"
"Hey, it is fine. It's a big chunk of information being shoved into your brain." Terry assured the boy. "It's gonna take some time to process— just like this whole thing is."
"I just—" The kid's voice cracked, he hugged himself closer. Terry could almost see the miniature tornado forming. "I miss 'em."
Terry understood. He wasn't not talking about them because home was a bad environment. He wasn't not talking about them because being apart for so long, even if it didn't feel like it— it hurt.
Terry was almost knocked out of his chair due to the wind. While he wanted to reassure the kid, he also didn't feel like going to Kansas today.
"I'm gonna need you to calm down a bit, mate." Terry said, growing slightly worried.
The kid started gasping for air as he saw the tornado being created inside. He put his hands up to his ears and kept shaking his head. Terry knew he probably shouldn't do what he was about to do, but the kid needed comfort and—
Screw it.
Terry got up from his folded chair, it immediately got blown away from the strength of the wind. He had to hold onto the coffee table so he could make it over to the couch. After a bit of wrestling with the very surprisingly strong wind, Terry sat himself down next to Lukian. The kid was in a fetal position, his head swinging left to right— right to left. Terry put a strong hand on his shoulder, he felt the kid slightly tense up but other than that he had no recognition that Terry had moved.
"Take a deep breath, kiddo, you can do this!" He yelled over the ravenous wind.
After five minutes or so of reassurances the tornado quieted down.
Once the kid noticed his new changed position he scrambled back and stumbled off the couch, eyes wide and foggy, full of fear and trepidation— his whole body shaking. Something wasn't right, just from this reaction. Terry was certain another tornado was going to form… but he seemed to have it under control.
The doctor raised his hands in the air cautiously.
"I come in peace."
Lukian let out a small breath of relief and looked around the room, almost as if he was somewhere else for a minute. Terry got up from the couch and picked up his previously flung chair, he sat back down in it. The kid kept his distance as he sat back down on the couch, Terry had noted his eyes following his every movement.
"Don't worry. You'll be back at home with them in no time. I promise you that, son."
Lukian nodded slightly. Still a little in shock from what just happened.
"Home is nice. They care a lot— too much." The boy finally answered the question after a few minutes, his voice was a little loud like his ears were ringing. Terry knew his ears were close to that point himself.
Terry smiled. "There's never too much care."
"Helicopter parents?" Lukian questioned with a grin.
"Never too much." The old man repeated
The kid broke into giggles. "I feel bad for your son."
Terry joined him. "Hey!"
—
As Terry exited the hexagoned room he immediately bumped into somebody who was studying the tablet in their hands like the fate of the earth depended on it.
Which at S.H.I.E.L.D might honestly be true.
As the two collided Terry dropped his clipboard (and luckily not the chair too)— and the other dropped with the doomsday tablet.
"Shit, I'm so sorry!" A young woman's voice apologized. She immediately went to pick up both of the fallen items.
"Ah that is my fault my friend, I didn't look both ways before crossing." Terry mused.
"More like I didn't look up at all." The young lady mummered to herself. She handed him back his clipboard and she stood up straight. She held out a hand.
"Daisy Johnson."
"Terry Buckards." He shook her hand. "Pleased to meet you. The director of yours speaks highly of you." Terry wasn't lying, he was told a considerable amount from Phil about a highly skilled inhuman/ hacker Agent. He was pretty sure the man had mentioned an Agent Johnson about— ten times today… at least.
Agent Johnson looked down slightly to hide her blush. "He does that," She joked.
Terry smiled as they started walking back upstairs to the main part of the base.
"Hey, ummm... can I ask you something?" Agent Johnson questioned.
"Of course," Terry responds as if it was stupid question— 'cause it was. He would gladly help anyone if he could. It's why he loved his job.
"Okay, well… I know I'm not supposed to know, or ask anything that happens during a session, and it's all confidential…."
Terry gives her a look that says you're damn right it is.
She held a hand up. "I know— I know. But— I'm just worried."
Terry raised an eyebrow, he sighed. "Care to elaborate on whom this is about?"
Now he wasn't about to spill secrets he promised wouldn't leave that room, he also wasn't gonna let someone's worries get lost in the wind.
"It's about Lukian, the kid— did he... mention anything about his family?" She asked carefully.
Terry let out a tsk. "That would be listed under the confidential section, my young friend."
Agent Johnson stopped walking in front of him and turned to face him. "I know that. But I also know the signs, I've seen them on kids myself. And I know how it can change a person." Johnson stated. "Look, you don't have to tell me details just… tell if it was good or bad— what he said."
Terry could tell she genuinely cared for the kid from her tone. He thought about it for a moment.
"It was positive." He assured.
Agent Johnson let out a small breath, and smiled. They started walking again. "Okay… Thank you. I'm sorry for asking, as I said— I'm just worried. I've spent a lot of time with Lukian over the past week and he's never once mentioned his family."
Terry thought about what she said for a moment and if it was right to share this with her, but then again the kid needed some support. Clearly he was having problems dealing with it all.
"He missed them," Terry finally said. "He knows he was asleep for three months, he saw the date on his file."
Agent Johnson's eyes widened slightly. "Crap," She muttered. "That would explain last night."
"I'm sorry?" Terry said. He didn't fully understand, he knew the tornado happened yesterday evening, but the way she spoke was as if she knew about something else.
"Oh, right." She said. "The tornado only started after I told him that soon he'll be able to go home. He looked panicked or almost scared of the idea. In the moment I thought…"
"So did I," he finished for her as he knew exactly what she was going to say. "He got defensive whenever I got close to the subject. But there is no reason to worry, it's just a little homesickness."
Agent Johnson smiled. "Yeah. I'm sorry for bothering you, Doctor."
"No worries," Terry said. "Keep an eye out on the kid for me, will ya?"
"Don't worry, I've got multiple."
Terry chuckled at that. As the two went their separate ways, Terry couldn't help but think back to what happened today with Lukian.
Once the kid noticed his new changed position he scrambled back and stumbled off the couch, eyes wide and foggy, full of fear and trepidation— his whole body shaking.
It was like he was trapped somewhere else… in a memory. Agent Johnson's voice echoed in his head.
"The tornado only started after I told him that soon he'll be able to go home. He looked panicked or almost scared of the idea."
Despite what Lukian may say, something definitely isn't right. There was without a doubt, more to it and god he hoped he was wrong.