**I don't think I can apologize enough for leaving you guys hanging for so long. I fell on some pretty rotten times and it just utterly killed my desire to write, however, I did not want to abandon a story that isn't finished**
**I know this one is super short, but I'm still trying to get my mojo back without screwing it up. Please be patient**
**Realized I goofed a bit on the time line. I projected Connie's age to be in the early twenties in the beginning without thinking through the jump. She is in fact about 26, rather than 22 as originally quoted. Apologies for that**
**Enjoy!**
Chapter Seven: Who Are You?
A howl of pain erupted from the front of the house, and Bucky felt his blood curdle at the sound of it.
"Shit" he hissed, dropping his beer on the floor and bolting out of his seat.
"Dad!" Jamie called, running up to the porch.
"Stay here with your sister!" Bucky ordered, racing past the kitchen and toward the front door.
She had her back to him as he approached the doorway, and another cry of pain echoed out from the porch. His skin crawled for a brief moment, coming up to her side and looking down at the man on the ground just a foot away from the steps, writhing around like a wounded animal. Bucky opened his mouth to voice a bit of reason until recognition took hold, seeing Simon was the man on the ground.
Despite the obvious, something still seemed off. He looked older, years older in fact, which confused him more than the fact that he was at their home. Getting out of Aspen was one thing, but being able to figure out where they lived was something else entirely.
"Wait, stop!" a voice called.
Bucky raised his attention to a young man bolting toward them, the soldier leaping into action as he lunged forward, meeting the stranger a few feet from the steps. The moment they collided, Bucky knew he wasn't normal. The sheer force of strength nearly pushed him back before he dug his feet into the ground; holding him at bay.
It took a few seconds for the soldier to register the facial features of the stranger, and for a brief moment, he felt a pang of familiarity; as if he knew this man. The stranger, however, didn't bother looking at him, as it seemed his frantic gaze was directed at Kade; who still had Simon crippled on the ground.
"Please, I'm begging you, don't kill him!" the stranger pleaded.
"I should have known…you lying piece of shit!" Kade seethed.
Simon let out another howl of pain, twisting around on the ground while he cradled his head with both hands; as if to keep it from exploding.
"He's not a liar, please it's not what you think!" the stranger begged, the distress in his voice clear as day.
"He brought us here because he knew you were the only one that could help us!" he pleaded.
Kade's radiating blue eyes shot up to the stranger, brows furrowed in anger.
"You're the ones from the plant" Kade seethed.
The stranger suddenly reeled backward, grabbing hold of his head and letting out a growl of pain as he went to his knees.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you both right here!" Kade demanded.
While Simon continued to writhe and twist, the stranger seemed to take the abuse as if it were just a bad migraine, which both fascinated and worried Bucky.
"If you…don't help us…my sister is gonna die" the stranger panted, struggling to look up at them.
There was a brief flicker of guilt in her eyes as Kade stared down the stranger, even as the anger boiled inside her, searing through her veins like acid. It was obvious that they meant trouble, so why was it suddenly a struggle to decide whether or not to end them both on the front lawn with several of their neighbors spectating from the safety of their homes; after all, when your neighbors are abnormally powerful members of the Avengers…you're less inclined to make yourself noticed.
She turned her eyes back to Simon, finding herself at a moral dilemma, in which she was wanting to kill him, yet unable to find a reason to…again. Kade curled her lip and let out a ragged, yet aggravated sigh, lowering her hand and releasing the both of them from her control. The stranger exhaled sharply, shaking his head as if to regain his bearings while he slowly got back on his feet. Simon, however, groaned in agony, barely able to muster the ability to roll onto his belly.
"Your sister, where is she?" Kade snipped.
The stranger made a motion toward the street, where a car sat on the opposite side.
"Bring her inside" she ordered.
Without further hesitation, the stranger turned on his heel and made his way toward the car; albeit with a wobbly start. Kade looked down at Simon, swallowing hard and clenching her fists.
"Bucky, get him out of my sight before I talk myself into killing him" she warned through gritted teeth.
Bucky watched intently as she turned on her heel and walked back inside, exhaling heavily through his nostrils as he moved toward Simon, bending down and grabbing the man by the upper arm, hoisting him less than gently to his feet; the latter groaning miserably as he was practically dragged toward the backyard.
Kade made her way inside, her mind still reeling as she saw Jamie coming toward her from the kitchen; Constance in tow.
"Mom, what's going on?" he asked, the edge of panic in his eyes and voice.
"Charlie protocol, now" she responded sharply.
Jamie needed no further instruction, stopping in his tracks to scoop his still confused sister into his arms, hoisting her up to carry her as he made a straight line for the stairs, bounding up them with little effort. Kade rested her hands on her hips for a moment, lowering her head and taking a deep breath through her nose, holding it briefly before exhaling slowly; trying to keep calm. Her heart beat didn't seem to falter, neither did the surge of adrenaline that seemed to run like fire under her skin.
There was a tick in the back of her mind, practically screaming at her, that the stranger in the yard was closer to home than she first anticipated. She shook it off as best she could, feeling that familiar tingle run rampant through her nerves, the hair on her neck standing on end; her power seeming to claw mercilessly at the cage door…desperately wanting out. Cloudy images flashed in her eyes, images of a city razed, death at every corner, and a figure with radiating blue eyes standing in the center of the destruction; which did nothing to calm her ever rising blood pressure.
Her attention was diverted upon the sound of someone coming into the house. Kade turned to see the stranger carefully step forward, a young woman in his arms; seemingly unconscious. She looked maybe mid-twenties, dirty blonde hair and her skin tone abnormally pale. It was the overall look of this girl that sent a chill up her spine…it was almost like looking into a mirror.
"Put her in the living room" Kade rasped.
The stranger nodded, turning abruptly to his right and into the room. She followed, eyeing him cautiously as he rested the girl on the couch with all the care in the world, going so far as to push the strands of hair from her sweat stained face. She looked beyond unconsciousness at this point, she looked as if she were in pain, and Kade could barely hear the strained and shallow breathing that passed her pale lips.
"What's wrong with her?" Kade asked, her voice barely resurfacing.
"She's been unconscious for three days, I can't get her to wake up" he replied.
"Why haven't you taken her to a hospital?"
"Because they can't help her!" he snipped.
"And why is that?"
He snapped his head in her direction, eyes frantic and his mouth open as if to speak but he held his tongue, taking a breath to calm himself before he attempted words.
"Because…she has the X-gene" he responded.
Kade held her breath for a second, though she didn't know why. It wasn't like it came as some surprise, they had first anticipated that one, if not both of them were super human; on top of the fact that they weren't the first ones they crossed since her fusion with the stone.
"What does that have to do with anything? Why are you convinced I can help her and a hospital can't?" She asked.
"She's exhausted her power…it's beyond anything a hospital can do"
She rolled her eyes in exasperation, crossing her arms over her chest, finally glaring at him with a silent demand for him to explain. The stranger swallowed nervously, as if trying to shake the image that he was quickly intimidated by her display; composing himself just as promptly.
"Think of it this way…a super human's power is like a battery. They use a little here and there, it's fine, it recoups itself…but if you use too much at once, it drains it to nothing…and what do you think happens when the battery dies?" he explained.
Kade shifted her gaze to the girl laying on the couch, her strained breathing the only indicator she was still alive. The urge to help her was hard to ignore, as was that tick that continued to scratch at the back of her mind. She sighed in aggravation, stepping forward and kneeling down in front of the couch.
"You better know what you're doing, because I sure as hell don't" she grumbled.
"Yes, you do…you just haven't done it yet" he remarked.
She tossed him a look that crossed between confusion and hostility, and the question rattled her; how does he know so much about what she might be capable of? Kade took a deep breath, gingerly bringing her hands up over the girl, as if she were scared to touch her at first; finally resting one hand over her forehead and the other over her abdomen. Her skin was cool and clammy, which sent a shiver down Kade's spine, like she was able to feel her life force ebbing off of her…so close to death it wasn't funny.
Kade closed her eyes, focusing on what? She didn't really know. She knew there was really no limit to the stone's power, but to revive a super human's power…was the complete opposite of what she was used to. She breathed in deep again, exhaling slowly, a mantra echoing in her head to stay on point. Suddenly, a rush of electric surged down her arms and into her hands. Kade could feel that presence all over her body, rooting down into the depths of her very soul.
She opened her eyes, her iris' a radiating blue as a similar colored mist coated her hands, seeming to pulse into the girl's body with each beat of Kade's heart. The feeling itself was exhilarating, tapping into the stone usually was, running along each nerve with a euphoric edge that was like a personal high. Just as soon as the good feelings surfaced, so did the rush of images. A stinging pain radiated from the back of her skull, forcing the rest of her body to go rigid, while the ability to breath became extremely difficult.
Kade saw images of herself, bloody and screaming, an infant in Bucky's arms, and a pair of graves that looked hand dug. More images flooded her senses as she saw a city laid to waste, death in every direction, the sky spotted with strange air crafts, and seemingly at the epicenter of the chaos, was a shadowy figure, abnormally colored skin decorated with bright blue linear markings, and eyes radiating the same color blue…staring straight at her.
She howled in pain and lurched backward, her power bursting around the room like a miniature nuke as she severed her tap into the stone; gasping for air and struggling for bearing the moment her back hit the floor. Those images had a sense of familiarity to her own, but vastly different in their own way. They were more vivid, and felt more real than what she was used to, meaning they weren't out of her own head…they were from the girl on the couch. Kade's head swam and consciousness was becoming a valuable effort as she moved to sit up, trying to keep her vision from doubling, looking over at the two.
He too looked to be recovering from the knockback, rushing to the girl's side as she sat up straight, sucking in breaths of air like a fish out of water. The stranger was in a step down from panic, insistent on making sure his female counterpart was alright, but as the latter turned to look at him, Kade's less than stable vision picked up on one very noticeable detail; heterochromatic eyes.
"Who are you?" Kade rasped, barely managing to sit up.
Their attention was drawn to her, and while it was distorted and doubled, Kade saw the look in the girl's eyes, the look of recognition quickly followed by shock and sadness. Her stomach churned violently and a wave of nausea came with it, signaling the longer she tried to stay off the urge to pass out, the stronger the urge to vomit became.
"Who…are…"
She trailed off, suddenly finding a loss for motor function as everything just seemed to dark around her. A child crying out for her mother was the last thing she heard before unconsciousness claimed her. It wasn't the first time she passed out, she practically made a habit of it some fourteen years ago, but what was unexpected was the sudden jolt that pierced her body mere seconds later.
Kade opened her eyes, taking in a sharp, startled breath as she glanced around. She was standing, in what appeared to be a perpetually dark room that had no real matter of definition, yet she herself was plainly visible, as if illuminated by some kind of light. No sooner had the wonder crossed her mind as to what the hell happened, did a voice make itself heard.
"It's been a long time Kadence"
She spun quick to the sound of a feminine voice, taking in the sight of a woman dressed in what looked like animal skins, strapped to her body in tribal fashion. Caramel colored skin decorated in dark blue linear tattoos, dark dreadlocks that reached down to the middle of her back, and eyes just as blue as Kade's, with a look of humor etched across her face.
"Andromeda" Kade breathed in disbelief.