It's Not A Date (thought I wish it were)
Pain explodes from the side of his face as he staggered back. Jackson shook it off, or tried to, and aimed a well-placed kick into the side of the guy that threw the punch. He followed that up by delivering one himself, using the full force of his ability to knock him out. It worked. The guy crumpled to the ground as if a trunk had it him. Adrenaline pumping through his systems, Jackson rounded on the other two thugs from his school that thought they could beat him. So far, he dropped their leader to the ground and the two other ran off.
"I didn't think so." He rubbed his nose, seeing blood but wiped it off on his shirt. Maybe he wouldn't have to do that if he hadn't called them amateurs. Maybe he wouldn't have done that either if they weren't so egoistical. It sucked, really, but his dad was going to have his head when he gets back from some job he's doing.
Jackson sighed, shrugging his backpack on again and trudged on home, not feeling one bit happy about any of this. It's been at least two days since he's heard from his Dad or Kaldur. He's worried so much, all his pencils had been chewed half to death during school and at the diner where he often ate these days. He's antsy. Waiting around for his dad to give him a job just isn't his style. He had to do something otherwise he'll go crazy. If only he could work for some other villain or another.
An idea struck him as he slowed his pace. Why not? His Dad always got onto him about not taking enough initiative. Besides, it's a way to make a name for himself, wasn't it?
A slow smile spreads across his face as he could think of someone that might need a hand or two.
Finding them wasn't a problem. Coming up with a codename and a mask, completely was. He knew how to rig a voice modulator and make his mask at least some what decent. The problem was a codename that wouldn't link back to his Dad or brother. It was annoying, but essential to his operation. If he was going to get anywhere in the world, he had to be taken seriously.
Well, as serious as any sixteen year old can be.
"Marduk? No, that sounds dumb." Jackson crossed it out from his list. His eyes narrowing down the list of names he'd come up with while working on his suit. "Terror? Ugh, come on, Jack, that's an awful name." It had to be something that worked with his power set. Jackson knows he has some kind of electrical power and that it's magic of some sort and he had superior strength than an average human and could swim well underwater for a solid few hours or more if needed but that was all he knew. Even at that thought, he could help but touch the side of his neck where the gills would grow if he touched water.
His eyes flicked up to the poser for a while with some athlete his dad liked. What could he name himself?
"Huh." He stood as the name came to him. " I think I got it."
They met under the cover of darkness in a warehouse outside of Gotham, just over the bridge. It's his first time there, but in the black and dark blue painted beta suit he was wearing with a painted black hockey mask he cut to cover half his face, he felt more comfortable than he had been when he ventured out. Right now, he was standing next to a few he recognized. Icicle Jr., of course. He usually wasn't too far or too off from what his father told him. Then there was some girl- gods what was her name? Glimmer? Shiver? Something like that. She looks like she just murdered someone with her eyes alone. Then there was Mammoth. He grunted and it kinda looked like he was scratching his butt or something while they waited. Jackson made a face behind his mask and looked away.
He noticed the other soldiers there and idly wondered where they were from. It didn't matter.
"Good. You're all here." The annoying little man with a creepy see-through skull was talking. His name was Psimon and he was supposedly a powerful psychic.
It creeped Jackson out.
"Now then- wait, who are you?" Psimon eyed him. " You're rather new."
"Name's Shango." Jackson replied as casually as he could, "So, are we doing this or can I go?"
"Hm..." Psimon eyed him for a while longer before continuing to debrief the group about what they were doing, "We're just escorting some things to Bialya. It's a simple mission and we're not expecting trouble but I don't have to tell you to still be on alert." He turned, " Open the the Boom Tube."
It's definitely something that Jackson hadn't seen before. The sound it made was half deafening to a degree. What kind of technology was that? He didn't know, but he continued on with the others, jumping into the back of one of the trucks with Icicle Jr.
"Hey, Shango, right?" Icicle jr smiled wide at him offering an icy hand, "Nice to meet you. I'm Icicle jr. by the way- I bet you know of my dad already." He seemed both proud and sheepish at mentioning his father. "This should be an easy job."
"So I've heard." Jackson replied, the voice modulator doing its' job in obscuring his true voice. "Done this a lot?"
"Yeah." Icicle jr. puts his feet up over the side of the truck as it drives through the boom tube and came out in the sweltering hot heat of Bialya's desert. "Fu-! Damn it, Psimon! Why didn't you say it'd be so hot?" He scrambled to get under the tarp. "I'm melting here!"
Even if he didn't want to, Jackson agreed and had to stop himself from getting under there as well. The heat was oppressive. Like a hand was holding you down or something. It was a little hard to breathe but fine enough for the time being. As long as they got somewhere cool soon, it'd be fine.
"Are you stupid?" Shimmer laughed from on top of the Truck's cab, almost enjoying the heat, "What part of 'Bialya' didn't you understand? It's in the desert, ice cubes for brains."
"How was I supposed to know?" The iceman yelled at her, " Like I got time to look at a map!"
They bickered for a few more minutes before eventually that became too much. Jackson just sighed and tried to enjoy the wind that blew by them as the trucks sped off into the unknown and unforgiving desert. He wondered if all jobs were like this or if this was a special case of it going smoothly? Many times, he's heard his Dad rage about something going wrong or the League and Aquaman ruined his plans again. It made his stomach tie in knots. Hopefully, they'll drop this off and go back soon.
"So." Apparently the heat wasn't terrible enough to keep Icicle jr. silent for too long, "Shango, what do you like to do when you're not working?"
"Dunno." Jackson shifted his weight a little, before finally abandoning his position to get up under the tarp too. He eyed the contraption that they were guarding, slightly mystified by what it did or what it even was. It didn't matter. "I guess I like to watch tv and play vidoegames a bit. Mostly read, though." Absently, he stares out of the back watching the sand fly off. "Dad always say's a mind not occupied is a mind not workin'. So, I keep busy."
"Huh, smart dude, your dad, I mean." His companion commented, "Wish my dad was as supportive- I mean not that he's...he's just got high expectations, is all."
Jackson's brows rose a little, though the other couldn't see it. There was something interesting in how he said that. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Dads' can be rough with that expectation stuff." He stretched, "Honestly, this is kinda nice vacation, you know?"
"I hear ya."
Their talk dissolved into small chit chat. What movie did he like? Did Icicle jr. ever eat anything actually hot or was he doomed to only drink cold drinks. It went on like that until they got to their destination without any problems. Once at the site, they helped unload the equipment before being paid by Psimon and got a lift back to the boom tube to get home.
It was then that Icicle Jr. turned to him awkwardly and asked, "So, um, do you want to meet outside of this? I mean- you don't have to, it's just...you know, just wanted to hang out with someone for a while."
Everything in him said he shouldn't agree to this. He really should say no and go on home like he hadn't done anything and wait for his Dad to get home from his own mission. After all, he just invented this whole 'Shango' persona. It would ruin everything wouldn't it?
"Um.. sure, I guess." The way he saw Icicle jr. light up at that made him feel both good and terrible at the same time.
Even after he gave him the burner phone contact number, it didn't occur to Jackson until he was half way home that Icicle jr. may have asked him out on a date.
Nah. That couldn't be it. Still, he figured he'll at least have some fun of his own. It was better than being bored, that was for sure.
It's not a date.
With the last message he had gotten from his Dad about coming home in a few days, Jackson could plan ahead accordingly. The time that Icicle jr. wanted to meet up by the butcher's shop in Gotham worked out to being after school for him. So he raced home, ignoring all his school friends to get dressed again with dark wrap around sunglasses to keep his identity still somewhat of a secret. No offense to Icicle, but Jackson was rather confident that he wouldn't be able to figure out who he was anyway.
Dressed in casual red and white shirt, dark jeans, and clean tennis shoes, he headed over and waited for him. It took about ten minutes, but when Icicle jr. showed up, Jackson was utterly surprised by how...human he looked. It was definitely him, no doubt about that, but still with out all the bluest ice colors, the lanky teen was pale as hell with only the kiss of the lightest blue hue to it. His hair was platinum blonde white. That's the kind of hair that movie stars dyed their hair for. He was wearing nothing much but a tank top and some jeans with scuffed up shoes. And his eyes? Bluer than a glacier.
Jackson's not sure what his reaction to seeing him so human was but he felt odd, that's for sure.
"Shango?" Icicle jr. questioned.
"Yeah, just call me Jack." Jackson's not even sure why he gave him his other nickname. "What do I call you?"
"Cameron." He grinned, "Cameron Mahkent." He nods, "Lets go."
Jackson stuffed his hands in his pockets, "You're awful free with your real name there, Cameron."
He just laughed, "Well everyone and their moms' know my dad and me by now. I don't think it's a big secret anymore." He looked ahead, "I doubt anyone actually cares. Anyway, there's this moving I've been dying to see but all my buds just bailed on me all the time." A little frown played on his lips, "Sometimes I think those guys just don't like me, really."
Jackson thought that they didn't and were simply using him. He doesn't voice this. They weren't that close yet. Despite the weird jumpy feeling he had in his stomach. It made him a bit antsy. "Sure, lets go see it."
"Really?" Cameron's eyes lit up again. Almost like a puppy, he seemed to have gained a bounce in his step, "You won't regret it!"
A few hours later, and several snacks, Jackson had to say, he didn't regret hanging out with him. In fact, over time, he found himself laughing far more than he usually did. Being around Cameron kind of made everything better when there wasn't work. Even the movie, which was trash by the way, was way more fun. They talked for a few hours about their favorite scenes (his was when the building was starting to fall and the hero had to jump out of it while it fell to catch hold the side of the helicopter) and whether or not the villain should've gotten away with it.
"But the villains are always dumb." Cameron said, "They never finish the hero off when they have the chance."
"Yeah, I know, right?" Jackson laughed a bit then did a bad imitation of the villain from the movie, "Instead of killing you, Mr. Sloane, I'll have the piranhas eat you alive!"
They both burst out laughing at that. "Dude, that was too good!"
"It's so cheesy! My Dad would never do that."
Cameron chuckled, slowly sobering up, " Yeah, mine wouldn't either. Guess that's why he's always disappointed in me."
The mood shifted, and Jackson looked over at him, " Hey man, I'm sure you're going to do great thing. There's endless possibilities out there, you know?"
"Yeah." Cameron looked up as they headed back to the Butcher's shop. "Say, Jack, why did you want to do this?" He glanced over at him, "You do know we're the bad guys to them, right?"
Jackson wasn't looking at him. Instead, he started at the ground, " Yeah, I know. But, it's what my Dad does and my brother."
Cameron nodded, knowing how that felt. "I understand that. It's why I'm doing it too. Family business, I suppose."
Jackson didn't say anything to it.
"Say," Cameron went on again, "Do you ever think about not doing it? The life, that is?"
This time he did look at him, " No. Dad's counting on me and my brother to follow him. I don't want to disappoint the only person that cared about me."
"What if he didn't care?"
His brows rose at that, "What'd you mean?"
Cameron was silent for a long time before he cracked a smile, " Nothing man, I'm just talking shit. Anyway, how about we do this another time? Your turn to pick the movie."
"Sure thing." Jackson said as Cameron continued on by the Butcher's shop, heading home. Something in him still felt funny but it collided with worry.
What was going on there?
He didn't know, but he's certain that he'll find out eventually. Just as soon as he figures out what the hell had been going on with him these last few hours.
"Maybe it's a stomach ache?" He wondered, though in the back of his mind, it whispered that he totally knows what it is and he's just being stubborn.
When he finally got home, he threw off his glasses and went to do his homework, idly glancing at the burner phone.
"It's not a date." He muttered to himself.
Then why was he kind of wishing it had been?