It happened so fast and so slow at the same time, Jason would barely be able to tell himself what had happened exactly :
He was on a large road, early in the morning and there was no pedestrian crossing so naturally, nobody would cross it at this exact moment. Except that guy with glasses running like a madman, literally throwing himself into his wheels just when he started to accelerate. There, the time seemed to freeze as Jason's eyes and the stranger's ones widened, meeting somehow, while every utterly useless details seemed to imprint inside his brain : The man was around his 20th, blond haired with a cowlick rebelliously standing up pridefully on his head against every common sense (and wind), blue cerulean eyes engulfed in surprise hidden by square fashion glasses, wearing an oldish leather bomber jacket but most of all, burger shewing mouth opening in slow motion, about to rip that bread and steak off.
And then, time suddenly fastened, and a deafening sound was heard: it was the blond's head and torso banging against his car's hood, and metal being torned by the impact.
Jason screamed, and was projected upward, almost hitting the steering wheel but saved by his seatbelt before doing so. The fact the airbag didn't activate was a miracle (or a malfunction to worry about), but certainly not enough of a blessing for him to care. He had braked too late. When Jason got back to his senses, realisation hit him like a fast-speed train as he saw the body of the man slowly sliding on the side, leaving a trail of blood.
-"No..please no...Ho...holy...fuckingg...shit...fuck fuck fuck..."
It wasn't real. It was just a freaking nightmare right? He really didn't just KILL that man right?!
Hurriedly, Jason opened his door and ran toward the man, every fiber of his body trembling in pure terror, terror that escalated when he saw his victim. The guy was unconscious on his back, in bad shape. Jason wasn't a doctor but he could say his left arm was definitely broken. He would swear blood was coming from everywhere : his head, his mouth, arms and chest. The car also got damaged, quite a lot actually. The hood had been warped at the location of the impact for example, more like it had hit a pillar than a rather slim human. But this detail didn't strike Jason much, he was too panicked to reason about it.
-"Please don't be dead, please don't be dead..I'm so so so sorry man...….Hey, do you hear me?!" he pleaded, leaning to the stranger's side not knowing if he should put a hand somewhere to help or don't touch anything.
After a few minutes calling for help in the street and seeing nobody, he finally remembered he had a phone. It was risky in his situation, when he was waiting for a 'delivery of a special kind'. Maybe it would have been better to flee as there was no witness. But he couldn't. Maybe he was too much of a coward, but he didn't have the guts to abandon that person to her fate, not with the reminder of what happened 4 years ago to him and his mother.
-"Okay...okay...hang in there man...I..I'm calling for..for help!" But before he could compose the number, a bloody hand tried to grab his phone, interrupting him.
-"No….please….don't…"
The stranger had woken up, one eye open, whispering his words.
Seeing him still alive would have brought tears of joy on Jason's face if he wasn't trying so hard to comprehend the whisper.
-"Wha..what did you say?"
-"Please...Don't call the..emergency...I'm fine…" How was HE fine? Jason's eyes widened as wide as saucers while brows frowned in disbelief.
-"Mister..you..you're not fine..you've been caught in a car accident...and….I think you really need help there.."
-"And... I said don't. make. that. call !" retorted the stranger while spitting blood and coughing, with a more serious tone.
Two blue-eyes were opened now, piercing him and telling him it wasn't just a request now, but an order.
An order Jason obeyed, frozen on spot, watching the stranger trying to stand up with his valid hand and assessing the damages all around him. Wait, was he looking for his burger?
-"Damn...I knew it was a bad idea….the shortcut...ungh..fortunately there's not seem to be a witness...Except you hey….Fiou, Texas is fine…." mumbled the man more to himself than to his spectator still in emotional tremor. It is only when the man tried to stand up on his feet and almost fall back hissing in pain that Jason tried to interact with him again, offering an arm to help.
-"Thanks man….not a good day...for neither of us hey? Sorry for your car, should have looked at the road..."
-"What? No man, that's...my fault. If..you don't want me to call assistance...do you want me to do ...like...like something else..? Anything..?"
-"Oww! Na dude, believe me, it's mine...and it will be mine...for what's next too….except if…" Suddenly, the blond stopped moving, looking at Jason with a thoughtful look, before asking :
-"...Actually..urg...I need a ride, right now. Before people see us….outside of town…Please..."
What a crazy request! Jason was really starting to think the guy had brain damage, but how could he refuse an injured man anything while he was responsible?
Like if he had read through his anxiety , the man added :
-"...Hey, don't be scared...about the bill or the cops...I promise…. I will get you out of... any trouble involving this. And won't sue you..."
It was hard to believe him completely, but what the stranger had just said relieved him from a whole part of his apprehensions.
That's why he helped him get in the car and came back to the driver seat, starting the car with wary eyes. This time, he was extremely cautious about his speed, first because his passenger was panting and moaning in pain each time the road wasn't well maintained, and second because he was receiving weird looks from bystanders.
-"Uh..excuse me...uhhh…"
-"Oh sorry dude! My name's...Alfred...Can call me ...Al'.."
-"Well...Alfred...there are people looking at us and...I think they will call someone for us whether you want it or not."
-"Oww geez…I forgot….sorry...my mind's kinda...ok, follow the directions I'm gonna give you."
Jason never had a co-pilot before and that one was the most reluctant and messy instructor he could have imagined. Alfred was changing directions so often they were literally weaving, sometimes rushing him to take an alley at the last minute. And he wasn't allowed to object as Alfred needed concentration for whatever location he was thinking about.
The blond explained at one point he was avoiding the crowded roads and the cops car by doing so. Whatever he believed, Jason was blindly following his lead for almost an hour and he started to notice they were leaving the suburb for more nature friendly places. Clay colored rocks could be seen near the road by now, and signs were now talking about good camping spots. More than that, there was way less circulation here and now that Jason didn't have to worry about the stares, they started to talk again.
-"Er...Alfred man? ...Are you feeling better? You were kinda in pain and all ..."
-"Yeah, I'm feeling way better thanks! Probably the fresh air of the mountains nearby!" smiled Alfred back at him, wiping out the blood over his injury that had stopped bleeding.
-" What a day uh! Can you believe I had to meet with someone, an old friend, but I was hungry so I took a detour at MacDonald to get some burgers and I don't know why I thought my friend would be super upset if I was late because of my bottomless stomach, so I though running using the shortcut would be the best idea ever. Which is stupid 'cause my friend is freaking patience incarnated, even in video games….or maybe not in video games…but that's an exception really..."
Jason was quite surprised to see Alfred was able to talk that fluently so soon, and was also quite awkward discovering how talkative he could be.
But between two of the other's rambling, he found time to ask that one question worrying him.
-"...Say..you didn't want me to call 911 or..the cops..., are you scared of the bill or…"
-" Ah sorry for interrupting but stop right here dude! " Alfred had pointed a lake at his right.
- "Like this, we can wash the car a bit...and the blood too, kinda feels dirty with all that 'ketchup' you know!"
Nodding, Jason obliged, the mercedes soon parking near the body of water.
After both exited the car, Alfred happily removed his bomber jacket, revealing a previously white top tank now mostly red. He seemed to inspect his jacket carefully, frowning at the naughty blood stains on it.
-"Damn..I loved that jacket! Probably not a good idea to wash it in the lake. But the blood stain isn't too visible right?"
-"Well...I'm not sure…"
-"However, I need to get rid of the top tank since it's too obvious...And for the car...don't you have a sponge or something to clean it up a bit? I know it will not repair it though but...at least people won't be scared while you're driving haha!"
-"...No sponge but rags.."
-"Ah, will do fine! Give it to me Jason and I'm taking care of this!"
At this point, it was obvious that there was something wrong with Alfred. Not the fact that he was wounded….the fact that he wasn't anymore!
When seeing the load of blood that was initially hidden under the jacket, Jason couldn't help to think : 'How can that man even stand up with that?'. Besides, he also had noticed Alfred wasn't panting anymore. He was still hissing but a lot less. There was no more bleeding anywhere. But what really got him was when the blond suspicious male picked up the rags...using his left arm like nothing had ever happened to it…..
With that part, Jason was starting to get really scared. Not that the fact Alfred was apparently avoiding by all cost COPS and WITNESSES and had wanted to flee in the wild where no one could see them was screaming suspicious. What if he was a wanted man or something? A wanted...Experiment of some crazy military project?
Oh god...what if he was going to be murdered by that man because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time… Even if he was scared of the idea, he mustered his courage, clenching his fist, and confronted his travelling companion.
- "A-Alfred wait a minute!"
-"Uh? What's wrong dude?"
-" Well….It's not that I...Doubt you….but what is going on exactly? I...I really need to know what's going on…"
-"Mmmm? With the car accident ya mean?" quizzically asked Alfred, although Jason swore he wasn't as clueless as he wanted to show.
-"Yes but..No! More like..why you avoid me calling 911, avoiding people...getting us here where's..there's nobody….And..and about your arm, it shouldn't be moving. No, in fact, you shouldn't be moving! You probably should be dead or..or in intensive care right now! That's crazy man! Who..who are you really?" Tense, he waited for the blond to respond, or to eventually assault him for what he knew. He didn't expect however the big colgate smile with gleeful look he received in response.
-"Ah! That! Yeah, I knew I wouldn't be able to hide so much from you haha! I will explain everything to you -Well, nearly everything because there's confidential stuff and all- just after I've finished cleaning, Jason dude!" The last tiny detail that bothered him just sparked in the ginger confused mind, and he retorted almost immediately.
-"Wait….did I ever told you my name before?"
-"May be? Imma telling you later I said…"
The smile on Alfred's face went from gleeful to amused, before he turned around towards the lake, leaving Jason to have inner deliberation about what to do with the little information that was given to him, and the questions that kept adding up.
The way he healed so fast was strange, but maybe...he wasn't medical staff to say and overreacted to the injuries, believing the arm was broken when it was only misplaced. It must have been it. But then, that wouldn't explain Alfred's reaction... The idea of taking his car and running away crossed his mind, but the friendly and relaxed behaviour of the strange man didn't sell him as a psychopath murdering people. Not that he knew how a psychopath murdering people would behave, it's just that...He felt sympathy for Alfred and still felt responsible for what happened. To think the accident could be premeditated was just silly and being paranoïd. Even if Alfred was in trouble (and maybe he wasn't as bad as he believed?), it didn't necessarily mean he was getting involved with it too…right? Still, there was one thing for sure : Alfred was much more secretive than what he let transpire.
Soon, the blond with the cowlick came back, cleaner but also shirtless showing off some abs Jason hadn't noticed before. That was some work-out right there! He handed him one of the wet rags and they both started to clean the blood stains in relative silence.
The ginger frequently threw looks toward Alfred, not willing to rush him, and he eventually was rewarded by his patience when the mystery of his day cleared his throat, eyes still focused on the car hood.
-" I know it's a weird situation for you, and it's kinda troublesome for me to have been caught in an accident. You see, I'm not your….average american guy."
-"I think I've noticed that..."
-"Haha, yeah! For example, I heal pretty fast. I've also a lot of strength but that I can control….most of the time. However, when I'm badly injured like earlier, I can't hide the healing well. Slow it down a bit, but it's still too fast for human standards. So, since it's unavoidable, I prefer to have the least number of people around me when it happens, and especially not clinicians or cops who will ask too many questions about it. That's why I wanted to flee the scene. The second reason being : I didn't want you to be in trouble because of me."
The blue cerulean eyes sparked at the ginger man who blushed a bit, not knowing if he had to be embarrassed of doubting the kind guy or if it was a way to coax him. It's just that Alfred seemed genuinely a nice guy.
However, Jason didn't expect him to confess the healing or strenght part, and didn't know what to do with it, except to joke about it.
-"But you have super healing and strength? Are you some Captain America experiment or something?"
-"Hahahaha! You've been watching too much movies dude! Na, I'm not an experiment, I'm 100% bio and natural! But not quite human."
Oh no, he was starting to believe that 'joke', and didn't like that.
-"Not quite human...like what..?"
-"Like the confidential kind."
-"Confidential...in governmental secret kind of confidential?" asked Jason with growing curiosity. He knew it was a bad idea to dig that one up, but it just escaped his mouth.
-"...Maybe I shouldn't have told you that one. Forget about it for now, or you will get in trouble."
Alfred was also starting to regret entering the topic. He knew it would be difficult for his citizens to just let him go away with this, while at the same time it wasn't his brightest idea to involve him in some administrative and secrecy contract hell.
But it was stronger than him : He just sometimes loved to leave some clues about himself and watch his citizens tweaking their brains about it. He was only allowed to do that with the president or close higher-ups, but it wasn't much in proportion to his whole population. For now, Jason didn't dig deeper in it though, and proceeded to slightly redirect the conversation.
-"And with super healing, super strength….wait, do you also read minds or something? Like for my name?"
-"It's not reading minds...per say….. How to explain...when I'm around someone closely by, there's..facts about that person that just pop up in my mind. Like their name, some personal infos. I can also read their emotions of the moment. Like profiling but in more instinctive and efficient ways. But I don't know EXACTLY what they are thinking. And I can't do that on multiple people at the same time, because I really need to concentrate to find out all these." The ginger man was speechless again. It wasn't mind reading, but it still looked surreal. He wondered how much Alfred knew about him that way….
-"Uh….sounds pretty impressive already…What do ya know about me then?"
-"You sure you wanna know?" smiled the superhuman, hiding really badly the fact he wanted to tell him.
-"Yeah…" Jason replied, not knowing if he was going to regret this. But before he could retract, Alfred went on and to his utter astonishment, almost recited his whole biography.
-"So, your name is Jason Rayners, 24 year-old, born the 17th april 1997 in Utah at the LDS Hospital Maternity. Actually working at Donna Hills as a car washer but you've done a few jobs before that. You live with your mom, Jessica Rayners, who's partially disabled due to a car accident four years ago. Your father has left when you were around...8? or 9? Not sure about that one. Oh, you had 2 dogs when you were young, one named Bubble and the other…"
-"Okay! Stop right there! That's scary as hell!" cried out Jason, still not believing the amount of details coming out of Alfred's mouth.
-"Sorry, but ya asked for it!"
-"Yeah...Oh god, you really know everything about me…" muttered Jason, realizing what it implied. Did it mean Alfred knew about his appointment and the way he was obtaining the meds? The illegal stuff he had done in the past? How shitty he was with his mom and people around him? He felt suddenly horribly exposed and vulnerable.
-"No, not everything….but a lot yeah. All factual matters I told you. Though I think that I'm starting to discover your personality as well.."
Silence came back between the two. It wasn't awkward though. Alfred hummed some Lady Gaga songs while Jason was absent-mindedly rubbing his car with the rag, looking at his reflection on the bodywork.
The mood was surprisingly pleasant and without being told to, Jason felt the need to speak out.
-"Eight year-old. My dad left when I was 8." he first commented. "He left for a dumb b*tch he was seeing for a year. Mom kicked him out of the house. He barely calls or cares about us, and even more since mom had her accident and the bills just skyrocketed."
-"Harsh man…"
-" Yeah. Before that car accident, Mom did everything to keep us out of the water, but that drunkard ass hit her car one night and got away. Couldn't find the bastard.
The insurance paid shit for the surgeries, and we're still crawling under debts. After that, Mom changed. She barely goes out, she just lay on the fucking couch all day, watching TV, addicted to her painkillers and anxiety-relief pills...And alcohol. There's beer cans everywhere in the house. When I see her like that, it just...it just gets on my nerves. But I'm no better anyway. I've been treating her like shit since then…"
-"But you're still taking care of her."
-"That's...I...I don't know why. It's not…...I don't hate her, not truly. She's my mother and...I still remember she was there for me when Dad wasn't. But when I see her like that, it hurts. I hate to see her like that because it feels like nothing will go better even if I push myself to the limit. Since the accident 4 years ago, I've had all kind of part-time job, even one long-lasting one. But I got into trouble with colleagues and left the place. And she got worse, and I got worse too. Been arguing with the few friends I had. Only there when I wanted to buy some goods, they fled like flies when I needed cash. Been doing some undeclared job with shady guys too. The meds are too expensive so have to buy them to your local drug dealer. Heck, I even extorted some kids once on the street, made the pockets of some junkie half passed out on the floor….shit, why do I tell you all that….I'm not someone good Alfred…I might actually go crazy right now and do something really really bad in the near future, since the world just seems to hate me so much!..."
-"And I've to say bullshit on that Jas'!" retorted Alfred, face quite serious now. After that, he dug his cerulean eyes into Jason's, and put a hand on his shoulder.
-"Life's can be harsh, and I've seen guys going berzerk for less than all you've been telling me. You're just having it hard and problems have been cornering you, but you're still doing everything to get out of this. I can understand you've lost faith in everything and mostly in yourself, but you've actually taken care of me. You could have left me for dead back there to avoid pursuit, you would not have been the first one, but you didn't. And you don't know just how much doing that means. I know that deep down" - he punched him gently on the chest - "You're a good and strong guy struggling with all he's got and the world can hate you for all I care, America will never let you down again if you're doing your best!"
What a silly promise that last sentence was, worthy of a President or political gentleman inspiring their troops. Then why was it raining on his face, Jason wouldn't be able to tell. It just felt good to cry a bit, to not be judged but understood. Not anyone would have been able to bring a tear from him, it was only that Alfred's words seemed to have a deeper meaning, something stronger than empty words.
Yes, that was exactly that : Alfred's words weren't empty or shallow. Jason could feel he was genuinely meaning every one of them, and that affected him.
-"...Thanks Al'." he managed to articulate, rubbing his red eyes before losing too much of his dignity.
-"Ha, don't use the rag to wipe those tears off."
-"...I'm not crying.."
-"Pff...yeah righ…"
Suddenly, Alfred froze and shot his head up, concentrating on something that escaped Jason's vision. The ginger man, still recovering from his little outburst, didn't get the time to ask what the problem was, before actually hearing it.
-"Ah! They've found us! Would have been too easy if actually no one called them after seeing all the blood on me or the car..." sighted Alfred, seemingly annoyed.
The matter with that superhuman was that he seemed to be immune to all kinds of extreme situations. So of course warning him a freaking helicopter was looking for them didn't cross his mind.
Jason gaped when he saw the engine, and panicked when the sirens rang through the heavy wind smashing their face.
Adding to all the questions he had for the past few minutes, another merged from his mind : What kind of trouble did they get into exactly?
