Chapter 6: "Homecoming"
When they got back to the jet, slowly, Jana was still unconscious, and the new Sinister was well and truly trussed up, with James watching him for even the slightest twitch in his sleep. But when Cody saw the three of them, he rushed over, breaking away from K for a moment but then stopping short, still looking concerned but glancing back at K, obviously waiting for a signal or direction.
"What do you need?" he asked in almost a breath, his eyes wide.
"For you to sit down. You can make sure your brother gets some food and water in him so he can heal right, if you need a project," Logan said.
Cody nodded at that and quickly moved to grab whatever was in the cabinets in the jet, clearly upset but not really saying much as Elin and Logan finally got Chance settled and Logan headed for the cockpit.
"I'm sorry, Elin," Billy said quietly as she sat down near him and Teddy. "I… I got there before he could kill Chance, but I'm sorry you three had to go through all that."
"I'm okay," Elin said. "It's fine. We're out. Thank you."
Billy crossed over to where she was and pulled her into a tight hug. "He's gonna be okay," he whispered to her. "Cody too. I promise."
Elin pulled him tighter and curled into the hug, but didn't say more than that — a little too shell-shocked herself for all that had happened.
As Logan got them in the air and headed back home, Cody handed Elin literally all of the food he'd found before he dropped into the seat next to K and tipped his head back to rest it against the wall of the jet behind him. He was pretty beaten down too, but he was obviously more worried about Chance than anything else.
"Cody," K said gently. "What kind of candy bar do you want?"
"I'm alright; Chance needs the fuel," he said without opening his eyes, still leaning back.
"Chance is going to start with the jerky," K said, glancing toward Chance to make sure he did just that. "We won't be in the air long enough for him to clear it all out, and I know he'd share. This one time. So pick."
"I don't know. I'll eat whatever you pick," Cody said tiredly.
She shook her head. "I can't remember what you like. I'm old."
He cracked one eye open and watched her for a moment before he sat up a little straighter and seemed to think about it. "I guess a Snickers bar would be nice," he said after far too long a pause.
She gave him a little smile as Chance handed one to him. "Right. Helps with the cranky."
He smirked quietly at that and nodded, falling silent as he watched Chance and Elin together and munched on the Snickers bar. "How'd you find us?" he asked at last in that same sort of quiet tone, like he was treading lightly on every word.
"Billy," K told him.
"He didn't see me before," Cody said.
"He probably thought you were in a different reality before," K pointed out. "We all thought you were gone to us."
"I was," he said simply, looking down at his hands.
She reached out and offered him her hand. "I'm really glad you're here. I missed watching you out-shoot Chance."
He rested his hand on top of hers. "I haven't shot a gun in over a year," he told her.
"So you think he's got a prayer of catching up, then?" K asked, her head tipped to the side slightly.
"Yeah, probably," he said.
"What did Sinister do to you?" K asked, giving his hand a little squeeze.
Cody took a deep breath and held it before he let go of the Snickers wrapper he was holding, though it stayed in the air. Augmentation, he projected to her.
She stared back at him for a long moment. You can just tell me like this if you want.
He nodded at that and let his shoulders drop. I'm stronger, too. And I'm pretty good in a medical suite.
We won't ask you to do that until you finish your residency, K replied.
Alright, he said.
If you want to do that, of course.
I'll do it, he said with a nod. That's fine.
I'm not telling you to, Cody. I'm perfectly happy if you'd like to just be on the staff, or fix cars, or become a baker like your mother. Or … bartend at a biker bar or something. Whatever makes you happy.
Cody frowned at her for a long moment. I don't really… know…
It's a good thing you're so young, then. You have time to figure it out.
Cody simply nodded with a little frown as he caught the wrapper and pocketed it. Okay.
K watched the motion, frowning deeper as she realized just how much Sinister had chipped away at Cody's manic energy. What, are you eighty suddenly?
What?
You're traumatized. I get that. But you've always needed prompting for little things like the wrapper. You were folding them into origami last time I saw you.
He frowned for a moment and almost unconsciously reached for his pocket. I don't really do that, he said. It's pointless.
It's artistic and brings beauty and whimsy into the world. But … that's between you and I.
He bit his lip and nodded. Okay.
She frowned at that but filed it away to share when they got back, which … wouldn't take very long, all things considered. She also made sure to send another text. I'm going to need to talk to you right away. Before anything else.
What's going on? Scott replied.
We found someone that was very lost.
I heard Billy took the three of you. Another dimensional save?
No. This dimension. Did you take that Xanax?
K, I've already got Annie on me.
I'm not telling you anything unless I know you're not going to have another heart attack.
I'm fine. I'm sitting down.
She let out a breath and gave Cody's hand a squeeze before she got up and made the phone call. "You know that even in a text I can tell when you're lying, right? You're just that bad."
"You're hilarious," Scott shot back in lieu of a greeting. "Are you going to tell me what's happening or not?"
"That's why I'm calling. It's not really a text kind of thing," K said, glancing across the jet to Cody. "We have Sinister, first of all. Billy got him separated from Jana — who we also have, but there's more." She took a deep breath and watched the two Summers boys for a long moment before she let her voice drop quieter. "Cody's with us."
There was a long pause. "What are you talking about?" Scott asked, sounding almost dazed.
"Scott, stay with me," K said. "We have Cody. He's very much alive. Sinister's had him this whole time. Working him over."
"What."
"I'm just …" She let out her breath. "... he's physically fine. But he's not himself. And I need you to be prepared."
"Yeah," Scott said, clearly struggling to find the words for the situation. "If he's been with Sinister… yeah…"
"I'm sorry to spring it on you like this, I am," K said. "But he can't … seem to make any decisions, and all of the fight is just … gone."
"And you're bringing Sinister back to take his head off," Scott said in a tone that wasn't a question.
"Yes," K said. "Once Billy's made sure there isn't anything left behind. Yes."
"Alright," Scott said slowly. "I'll … meet you in the hangar."
"Take your pill, Scott. Or I'm calling Annie next."
"K, I swear, I'm not going to have a heart attack," he promised.
"Good. Because we have both of your boys on board."
"I thought Chance was with Elin."
She made a little noise. "He was. And he had them too."
"What? Why?" Scott asked, jumping straight to concern again.
She ran a hand over her face and quickly explained what Cody had told her and how, but then was sure to finish by letting him know that both of them were physically fine. Both of them.
Scott was quiet for a long time before he finally let out a breath that she could hear on the other line. "I'll meet you in the hangar," he said at last.
"I need him anyway," Billy put in before K could hang up.
K nodded at that and relayed it to Scott. "Did you catch that? Billy has been pretty insistent that we can't kill Sinister until he clears it, so keep that in mind when you go to the hangar, please."
"Fine," Scott said shortly before he hung up.
K looked up and gave Billy a look. "He had that tone."
"I appreciate it," Billy said with a nod. He was running a hand in the air over Jana as he said it, a slight glow at his fingertips as he kept her asleep so she wouldn't freak out.
K gave Billy a kiss on the temple before she headed back over to sit with Cody, not really asking permission before she snuggled up close and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I've missed you so much," she told him quietly.
For a second, Cody tensed, but when K simply kept her head there, he nodded, closed his eyes, and let out a slow breath. "Missed you too," he said softly. "I … I kinda hoped you or Logan survived… only ones who could've, actually…"
"Probably one of the few people that had that sentiment at the time," K replied dryly.
Cody scrunched up his nose. "I'm sorry. I don't… I wasn't there for the fight, so I'm sure I'm missing something."
"Don't sweat it; it's over anyhow," she said.
"Yeah." He bit his lip, thinking over everything she'd told him, especially trying to reckon with the idea that no one had died. "If I'd known, I'd have tried harder—"
"If, if, if, if. Stop." She looked at him with a grim sort of smile. "What's the first rule of Noh-Varr's deluded way of thinking?"
"The Shi'ar are evil and I must be allowed to raze them always?" Cody offered with half a smirk.
"Okay, point. Second rule."
Cody's smirk fell. "Yeah, I know," he said.
"Then tell me, because I'm old and I forgot."
"Can't change the past. Hakuna Matata. All that," Cody said, looking down at his hands before, unbidden, he started to smirk. Damn, I can't believe I missed that, he added, projecting out of reflex when he had been so used to biting back swearing like that.
"What part? The mental image of Noh dancing like Pumbaa?"
Cody shook his head, smirking harder. "No, I meant… I missed hearing the Noh-philosophy. Sounds crazy, I know…"
"Not really," she said. "Not when large parts of the control that freak had over you was by making you feel guilty about the past."
Cody let out a slow, careful sigh. "Mm, more like guilty about present choices."
"What present choices? Did you obey or did you obey today? Please."
"Just…" He shook his head again. "I mean, I'm a walking reminder, okay? And I wasn't… done. She was still… fine-tuning to get me perfect."
"Ah, that's hard to do when you were perfect to start," K pointed out. "And if you tell anyone but your parents I told you that, I'll flail you."
"Yeah, I know." Cody gently rearranged himself so her head was at a more comfortable level.
"Just know … if your dad so much as thinks about making another secondary mutation joke in my direction, he's going to be coughing up his jewels," K said, trying to get him to relax, smile, or even joke with her. She could feel how tense he was underneath her head.
Cody's mouth twitched, and then, he started to smile wider with every second. But K, this makes three times.
"No, no … no it does not."
When I first got my headaches, then my beams, now this….
"Cody."
Sure, the evidence is circumstantial, but—
She started to chuckle, then kissed his cheek. "Love you too." She settled back in, trying to get comfortable as she let the silence stretch out for a moment, but she simply couldn't let it go. "Hey. If you get something else that decides to manifest on it's own, let me know before we get there, huh? Spitting fire or … I dunno. Redirect your beams through your nose ..."
"I don't have — I mean, the plan was to add a few more after healing, but her favorites were first, y'know?"
"I did say on its own. But … If he'd had any understanding of what a Summers wants, he would have given you flight. That's just laziness."
"Oh, well, I can do that. Telekinetic, you know."
"No, no … not what I mean at all. Supersonic flight."
"Wasn't a priority," Cody said softly.
"Lies."
"No, it wasn't."
"Can you imagine if your dad suddenly started just flying around?"
"No, I can't, because he'd never come down," Cody pointed out.
"He would come down for peach pie. And Cody hugs."
"And babies."
"Don't remind me."
Oh, sure. I'll just conveniently forget that's a thing.
K smiled. She hadn't missed that he switched to telepathy each time he came close to sounding like he was joking, but she would take that for a start. "At least until you find yourself a nice girl …"
"Yeah, um, no matchmaking, thanks," Cody said, dropping his gaze again.
"Not my job," she said. "But if you prefer a nice boy …."
"Not what I meant." Cody let out his breath again. "Talk to me again when I stop mentally comparing helixes."
"Oh, so never, then huh?"
I'll die single and bitter, he replied.
"Then we'll have to work on helping you forget that stuff," she said. The world doesn't need a bitter Summers for any reason ever.
Cody smiled and rested his head on hers. Thanks.
The flight back wasn't too long, so by the time Cody and K had lapsed into silence, they were in Westchester. When they landed, Scott was indeed waiting in the hangar — with his visor in hand.
Elin and Chance were, amazingly, the first ones out — both of them still bloodied up, but he was doing much better and moving under his own steam, though Elin still looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"Hey, Dad," he said with a small smile, trying to help diffuse things at that point.
Scott frowned over the state of both of them, though he did make sure to reach out to touch Elin's arm as they moved past him. "I know you can heal… both of you, I guess… but I want you to go to Hank. To be sure," he said in as gentle a tone as he could manage when he was still so mad.
Chance frowned at his dad, though he didn't take a step toward him. He still felt a little foggy after everything that had happened, but he had to ask… "You okay, Dad?"
Scott smiled tightly. "I'm fine," he promised. "Really. I'm more worried about you."
"O...kay." Chance paused, then decided better of whatever he was going to ask, instead squeezing Elin's hand. "I'm okay. I've got El," he decided.
Elin smiled grimly, though she didn't look up at Scott before she and Chance simply headed down the hall in that direction.
Scott let out a breath and scrubbed a hand over his face, watching with a frown as Teddy carried Jana past him, still unconscious. Though when K and Cody were next out, Cody froze when he saw Scott, his eyes wide as he took in the fact that Scott was in a wheelchair.
"I'll explain later," K promised Cody, sure to keep a hand on him until they were off the stairs.
Cody nodded slowly before he broke away from her and walked over to Scott — who, for his part, pulled himself to his feet so he could wrap Cody in a solid hug. Neither of them said anything at all, but it lasted a long time, the two of them just clutched on and not willing to let go.