Hello again everyone!
Special thanks to CrazyCaz, guarians-of-the-avengers, and ShadowTeir!
This chapter is a bit longer than the last. Now, on with the story!
Chapter 3 Such power
Clarice goes in and out of consciousness a few times, she blinks and sees the form of the daughter asking her where her dad is and John trying to calm them down. Marcos shakes her shoulder to keep her awake. "You alright?" She doesn't speak. "Hey! Where's my dad?" The girl asks again. "We know as much as you do." Marcos says defending Clarice. "You have to explain this. What just happened? Where are we?" The mom asks. "This is our headquarters." Johns says.
"Where is my dad? We need to go back. Please." Andy says as he and his sister step closer to John. "Just hang on." He says holding his hands out to back them up a bit. "Hang on! Hang on? My husband is in that warehouse. We can't just leave him there." John sighs then looks over at Marcos. "He was shot. We need to go back. Please!" The sister says. "Even if we could get back, it is a very bad idea. I know you want to help your dad, but that is suicide. It's not gonna help him if we all get killed. Right now, we need to take care of Clarice." He says as he helps Marcos guide her into the main downstairs. He hears a gasp behind him, but he ignores it. "Where are you taking her?" The mother asks as the family follows.
"Please. You got to help us. Can you get us back to my dad?" Andy keeps asking as he get closer. "It hurts. I've never gone that far before." Clarice barely gets out before her legs give out. "Ugh, she's in no Okay, here." Marcos and John move her over to the bench in front of the stairs. Laying her on her back. "No, no, no, no." John turns the sister. "Give her some space." He says defensively. "You've got to wake her up. Hey! Can you wake her up, please?" Andy urges. "Look, kid! Look, your dad was gonna help me get my girlfriend out of jail. I want him here just as much as you do, but we cannot do this right now. All right?" Andy looks down finally accepting the reality of it all.
Marcos moves and John kneels beside Clarice placing a hand on her cheek. He looks up to see Sonia on the third floor looking down at him with curiosity in her eyes. "I'm Caitlin and this is Lauren and Andy." John looks at them and nods. "Can you watch Clarice for a second we need to make a call." Caitlin nods as she takes his place. John climbs the stairs with Marcos in tow.
"I know, I know, Sonia. But Clarice is in bad shape. We need to do something for her." John says when Sonia gives him a look. "I've been trying to reach a doctor in Gainesville. I can't get anybody at this hour." She says. "Just keep trying. And we need to try to find a place for the family." Sonia looks down and the trio she chuckles. "This family. Who are these people? You almost got killed, Johnny. We didn't discuss this." John nods. "No, we didn't. It's about time we talked about this freelance job of yours, Marcos. You just run off and pull this without telling anyone?" He calls him out from his spot behind the pillar. " We help mutants in danger, John. Those kids are mutants, and you sure as hell saw the danger."
Scoffing John says. "Come on, don't give me that. This was about Lorna." Marcos crosses his arms as he gets closer. "So, what if it was? We can't just leave her out there." John shakes his head. "You don't think I want her back, too? We're not gonna help her by destroying the whole organization." He's nearly cut off. "Guys. You got to come. Something's wrong." John is the first one to follow close behind Lauren. He races down the steps Marcos close behind. " She's in respiratory distress, and her temperature's spiking. I'm a nurse. She needs help." Caitlin says then she moves out of the way as John crouches down next to Clarice. Marcos kneels feeling her head.
"She portalled for miles. The energy that must take." John says as he gently places his hand on her cheek. "I can't breathe." Clarice says faintly. "She needs medical attention." Caitlin urges. "We can't get a doctor right now." Marcos says not looking at her. "Are you telling me you have this whole network and you don't have a-" Marcos cuts her off and stands to face her. "A what? A Blue Cross? Yeah, we're on the mutant plan. No, we've got some first aid and some painkillers. Can you do anything?" Caitlin stutters. "I-I took a one-week course on human variant medicine in school." Lauren comes into view. "Mom. She saved us. You can help her." Slightly confident Caitlin nods panting as she kneels down. John moves out of the way he looks up and sees Sonia looking down concerned.
Caitlin feels the pulse in Clarice's arm then moves her hands up to either side of her neck. "Her heart rate's through the roof. Without running tests, I can't-" Clarice gasps she grips the top of the bench with her hand her palm purple. "What's she doing? What's going on?" Andy asks panicked. "I'm not sure. She may be in shock. If her system's crashing, if it's unstable, it may be affecting her abilities." Caitlin says looking up at John. "What does she need?" John asks. "Hyper cortisone-D to stabilize her powers. Sodium polystyrene sulfonate for potassium. S-Something to restore her blood calcium. She needs a hospital." Looking at John with pleading eyes. "Whoa, a hospital? She's wanted. She'll go straight back to jail." Marcos says. "I don't think you understand me. She could die here." Caitlin says as she stands.
John looks down at Clarice. No, I just got her back. Clarice starts gasping. "What is that?" Lauren asks looking past them all. They all turn to see a portal has opened and coming straight at them is a truck. "MOVE!" John says and they scatter. John close behind Lauren and Andy as half the truck comes through and skids after them. The teens dive out of the way and John is shielding them. He endures the hit as the back of the truck hit's his spine. He pants getting up with the help of the truck. He turns to the teens looking them over. "All right. You, all right? Come on, go. Come on. Go." They all move back towards Clarice. Lauren looks at her mom and she has a small cut on her head.
John looks to everyone on the upper levels. "Is anyone hurt? All right, all right, we got to move her." He says then gathers Clarice in his arms. "Clear the table, now." Marcos says as he and another mutant move a table to the vault door after shoving the papers to the ground. John moves to lay her on top of it. Guiding her head back and holding her arm. Sonia joins them. "I thought you said she was overextending her powers. How is she doing this?" Marcos asks. Caitlin rushes over John moves out of her way. "I think I was pretty clear, I'm not an expert." Clarice starts grunting her hands purple again as she seizes another portal begins to open. In another room it starts to expand. "Look! It's happening again!" Andy says as he points. "That's the same road as before." Sonia says. Marcos and John get closer. "This is a problem. They can see us." Marcos says as he ignites his hands slowly lifting them up.
"We're not getting into a pitched battle with innocent bystanders." John says as he stops him from lighting them up. "Yeah? What about him?" Marcos asks as a man with a riffle approaches. The girl Lauren moves in front of them she uses her powers to close the portal. "Lauren what are you doing?!" Andy yells. Lauren grunts. The man has his riffle ready to fire. "Lauren, watch out!" Caitlin screams. With an exhale Lauren closes the portal before anything can happen. "Dude, what did you just do?" Andy asks. "I don't know. I just I used shields to close it. I didn't think it'd work, but I guess it did." Lauren says still not believing what she had just did. "Yeah, it worked. For now. Clarice is in bad shape, that could happen again." Marcos nods. "Yeah, again? If people start coming through, we're toast."
John looks down at Clarice then at Caitlin. "Hey. If we get you that medicine, can you help her from here?" Caitlin laughs. "You can't just buy hyper cortisone-D at Walgreens. You have to get to the hospital, get in the Pyxis machine." Marcos nods. "Well, then we'll take you." Then he turns to Lauren. "If this happens again, can you do whatever it is you just did?" Lauren nods. "Yeah, I think so." Marcos nods. "Good."
"No! I am not leaving my daughter here to close space holes!" Caitlin exclaims. "Mom, it's okay I can do this." With a small nod Caitlin and Marcos head out into the night back to town. Everyone besides John and the Strucker teenss are clearing out some space in case it happens again. John stokes Clarice's cheek and he almost misses the boys question. "So, who is she anyway?" John walks around the table so he's next to the teens. "She's a refugee, escaped from jail." Laurens head snaps up. "Jail?" John nods. "We found her." Lauren cuts him off slightly. "What did she do?" John places his palms on the table. "She used a portal to steal food from the back of a supermarket. Happens a lot with mutants who can't pass for human, they can't get jobs, one thing leads to another-" Clarice gasps her palms glowing purple.
"Hey. It's happening. Get everyone safe." John instructs. "Everyone move, let's go!" Sonia says as she a few others move out of harm's way. The portal opens yet again to the same road only this time it's during the day. "Lauren, you got this?" John asks. Lauren begins to use her shield to close the portal it's a bit of a struggle this time. "Lauren hurry." John says his voice calm. Lauren grunts. John uses his heighted hearing to listen to what the officers are saying. Re-enforcements and the SWAT team. Lauren manages to close the portal, but it took a bit out of here she takes a few steps back and John holds his hand out to catch her. "That was way to close." Andy says.
"I'll be back in a minute. Anything happens, you yell." John says as he leaves the teens and heads up the stairs. Sonia meets him on the second floor and they climb up the third. "I don't know. They just keep opening. She's able to close them for now, but I don't know how much longer she can keep that up. Look, the cops are gearing up. I heard them call in the SWAT team. Next time the portal opens, we may have a serious problem." Sonia shakes her head. "Johnny, if they come through-" He cuts her off. " I know, I know. We need to be ready to evacuate if necessary." Sonia lowers her voice. "No. We have to get her away from here. We can't evacuate everyone." John heard the jealously in her tone and he shook his head. "Moving her is too dangerous. It just made it worse." Sonia lets out a sigh. "So, what are we gonna do?" John looks down at Clarice then back at Sonia. "We're gonna hope Marcos gets back in time with the medicine." Sonia nods.
After a while John goes back downstairs when he hears Clarice panting with Sonia in tow. He leans over Clarice placing his hand on her head. "She's burning up. This is getting worse." Clarice pants her head going from side-to-side. "It hurts. It hurts. I have to get away." She says looking at john with pleading eyes. "We need to start getting everyone out of here." John says looking at Sonia. "We are not gonna abandoning this place." She says her arms crossed. " I don't see what choice we have. All right? She's opening portals every few minutes now, and Lauren can't keep this up." Lauren looks up. "I can keep trying." Andy places a hand on his sister's shoulder." Mom, has to be back soon, right?" He asks hopeful. "Maybe. We need to consider the possibility-" Clarice gasps and her body turns slightly. "This could be it. We might have to evacuate. Clarice!" He holds her shoulders steady for a second then another portal opens. More police and the SWAT team have just arrived.
Lauren does her best to try and close this one, she grunts. "I can't hold it!" Clarice scream behind them. The portal opens itself back up and Lauren is thrown with her back hitting the wall. "Lauren!" Andy yells. Sonia rushes over to her she looks at the portal. "Look out!" A SWAT man has come through the portal his gun raised. "On the ground! On the ground now!" John grabs his hand forcing the man to shoot downward then he knees him in the stomach. The gun drops John throws the man up his back hitting the ceiling then he tosses him back out the portal. The other SWAT guys raise their weapons ready to fire. Andy rushes forward and uses his power the SWAT men go flying back against the police cars. Lauren, Sonia, and John get pushes back slightly.
Andy's power knocks Clarice and the table over she hits her head. And the portal closes. "Hey, hey. Clarice, wake up." John says then he looks up and sees several portals open and close in random places in the building. "What's going on?!" Lauren asks. "Get out!" He turns to Sonia. "Get everyone out now!" She leaves gathering two more on her way. "Get out! Go!" He tells the teens. "Lauren, come on. Come on!" Andy says as he pulls his sister to follow him. As the building begins to fall around him all he can do is shield Clarice. He soon sees Caitlin looking to see if the portal is safe. "Come on!" He urges. She jumps through the portal landing on a couch that has a few broken off boards on it. "Caitlin!" He goes over to her, but she's fine pushing him back towards Clarice. "I got the medication."
Weakly Clarice turns her head saying. "Have to go." Caitlin pulls out the medication and syringe with the needle. She puts some of the meds into the syringe."No, Clarice, you're staying here with us. I need you to listen to me, and I need you to be strong. I have to stabilize her potassium levels." As she sticks the needle in Clarice's vain pushing the other end so the meds go in her body. John looks up as sparks and a few more board fall around them. "We're running out of time." Caitlin nods. "Hold this." As she gets another syringe as John holds the medicine. "Okay, Clarice, deep breath. And be strong for me. Now!" As she jabs the needle into her arm. Clarice gasps her eyes no longer foggy. John lets out a sigh of relief he smiles down at her. "You're okay. You're gonna be okay." Caitlin says as she moves some her purple hair from her face.
Everyone comes back and they start cleaning up the wreckage. John carries Clarice over to one of the many beds for the wounded and Caitlin sets her up with an IV and puts the medication on the table just in case she soon leaves to join her kids. Clarice blinks a few times then opens her eyes. She sees John. "Hey. All this damage was it me? Is everyone okay?" She leans up a bit as John sits on a stool next to her bed he gives her leg a gentle pat. "You were a little hard on the trees and some furniture, but people survived." She sighs lying back again. "This place need a remodeling anyway." She says with a small smile. "I need to ask you something. You kept opening a portal to the same road. Do you know why?" Clarice shakes her head. "I don't I don't know. I don't remember." John nods. "I'm sorry." She looks at him confused. "What?" He shakes his head. "You should rest we can talk about it later." He stands to leave Clarice grabs his hand. "I'm sorry." He smiles. "It's all right. I'll come back later to check on you."
Clarice nods releasing his hand and he walks away. What could I have done? Did I hurt anyone? Her body begs for sleep and she finally gives in for a while. I have to tell him, I can't keep this from him anymore. She looks to her right seeing John talking to Marcos before her jade eyes close and she goes back to sleep.
Hey guys let me know what you thought about this chapter? What do you think John wanted to tell Clarice? What do you think it is that Clarice wants to tell him? Until next time...